The federal government on Wednesday unveiled a digital platform to strengthen surveillance and early detection of transboundary plant diseases across West and Central Africa.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, unveiled the Central and West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) digital platform while hosting the WAVE Regional Convening in Abuja.
Abdullahi said the platform symbolised scientific excellence, innovation, collaboration, and resilience in tackling plant diseases across the region.
He said it represented renewed commitment to stronger regional cooperation, faster disease detection, improved surveillance systems and more resilient food systems.
According to him, the platform will enable governments to make faster, evidence-based decisions during disease outbreaks and deploy limited resources more effectively through targeted interventions.
He said the tool would strengthen early warning and emergency response systems for transboundary pests and diseases while supporting digital agriculture and data-driven policymaking.
Abdullahi said Nigeria was selected as the demonstration country for the platform, reflecting its commitment to modernizing agriculture and strengthening pest surveillance.
He acknowledged the partnership with the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) and other national, regional and international institutions supporting plant health systems across Africa.
The minister said protecting plant health required collaboration among governments, researchers, universities, extension workers, development partners, the private sector, farmers’ associations, and local communities.
He said plant health was fundamental to food security, noting that healthy crops were essential for increased food production, improved farmers’ incomes, and sustainable economic development.
Abdullahi said transboundary pests and diseases, including fall armyworm, cassava brown streak disease, banana bunchy top virus, and cocoa swollen shoot virus disease, continued to threaten agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and regional trade.
He said climate change was accelerating the spread of such pests and diseases, making early detection and coordinated response more urgent.
The minister said the unveiling aligned with the Abuja Declaration, which urges member states to strengthen plant health systems and invest in digital surveillance technologies.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to building a resilient, productive and technology-driven agricultural sector in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, said transboundary pests and plant diseases required collective, science-driven, and sustained responses.
He urged participants to use the regional convening to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and develop practical solutions to improve food security across West and Central Africa.
Ogunbiyi said the ministry remained committed to strengthening national plant health systems, promoting integrated pest management, enhancing agricultural biosecurity and fostering strategic partnerships.
Earlier, the executive director of WAVE, Prof. Justin Pita, said the initiative was designed to safeguard food security by predicting and controlling viral diseases affecting cassava, yam and sweet potato production.
