The Federal Government has hosted the Central and West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) Regional Convening in Abuja to strengthen real-time tracking of transboundary plant pests and viral crop diseases.
Opening the three-day regional forum on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, unveiled the WAVE Rapid Response Decision Support Tool to improve biosecurity cooperation across West and Central Africa.
The newly deployed digital platform combines real-time field surveillance data, scientific analysis, and predictive modelling to help regional governments anticipate and contain crop disease outbreaks.
Senator Abdullahi emphasised that transboundary threats, such as Cassava Brown Streak Disease, Fall Armyworm, Banana Bunchy Top Virus, and Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus, continue to undermine regional food security, exacerbated by shifting climate patterns.
Developed in alignment with Paragraph 14 of the Abuja Declaration, the decision-support system enables national authorities to deploy targeted interventions, optimise resource allocation, and implement integrated pest management strategies to reduce reliance on chemical treatments.
Nigeria has been designated as the primary demonstration country for the platform’s initial deployment.
The project operates as a multi-institutional partnership involving the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), national plant protection organisations, research universities, and local extension networks.
WAVE Executive Director, Professor Justin Pita, explained that the initiative focuses on safeguarding staple root and tuber crops, including cassava, yams, and sweet potatoes, against viral pathogens that threaten smallholder livelihoods and regional trade.
The regional gathering convened agriculture ministers, national plant protection agency directors, and international researchers across the continent.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, noted that because plant pathogens cross national borders without restriction, containment strategies must remain science-driven and regionally synchronised.
The forum also featured the official unveiling of the new WAVE Research Logo, establishing a unified identity for continent-wide biosecurity research and data-driven agricultural policymaking.
Source: FMINO
