Ouagadougou, 04 February 2014. AU SAFGRAD, the Specialized Office of African Union Commission in charge of Agricultural Research and Development in the Semi-Arid Zones (SAZ) of Africa and The Permanent Inter-States Committee for Drought and Desertification Control in the Sahel (CILSS) have decided to revisit their previous five years MOU. This decision is the main conclusion of discussions during a visit paid on Tuesday, February 4th 2014 by DR Ahmed ELMEKASS, AU SAFGRAD Coordinator, to DR Djimé ADOUM, new CILSS Executive Secretary.
Accompanied with close collaborators, Dr Ahmed ELMEKASS has visited his CILSS peer with the purpose to greeting him and discuss the way to strengthen the cooperation between the two institutions. Responding to his guest, Dr ADOUM expressed his honor in receiving AU SAFGRAD Coordinator and his team. While discussing on the relationships and activities of their respective institutions, the two persons in charge agreed to reinforce the collaboration between AU SAFGRAD and CILSS in particular within Sahel Region. Taking opportunity of the framework of the 2014 African Union Year of Agriculture, Dr ElMEKASS and Dr ADOUM have decided to revisit their Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed since 2006. In this regards a couple of experts representing the two organizations will meet in the coming weeks to reread the past MOU. Invited by his counterpart, the head of CILSS has accepted to visit AU SAFGRAD Office as soon as possible.
Established respectively in the seventies (1973 and 1977), CILSS and AU SAFGRAD are both located in Ouagadougou City. CILSS intervention is limited to the Sahel Region while AU SAFGRAD mandate is targeting all the semi-arid zones across Africa including the Sahel.
For further information, please contact: Mr Youssoupha MBENGUE, Senior Information Officer at AU SAFGRAD, Ouagadougou. Email: Mbenguey@africa-union.org
