The workshop, organised by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), under its PlantwisePlus Programme, brings together representatives of National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs), researchers and plant health specialists to develop regional pest risk assessments for priority invasive species affecting West Africa. 

Opening the workshop in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Eric Quaye of Ghana’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), described Pest Risk Analysis as one of the most critical tools in modern plant protection and biosecurity systems. 

Increasing global trade, climate variability and the movement of plant materials across borders had heightened the risk of invasive pests entering new territories, threatening food security, farmer livelihoods, environmental sustainability and regional integration. 

“For West Africa, where agriculture serves as the backbone of many economies and supports millions of livelihoods. Strengthening our collective capacity in pest risk analysis is both timely and necessary,” he said. Mr Quaye noted that effective pest risk analysis enables countries to make science-based decisions, improve surveillance and preparedness efforts, strengthen quarantine systems and facilitate safe agricultural trade within and beyond the region. 

He urged participants to use the workshop as an opportunity to share experiences, discuss emerging pest threats, harmonise approaches and deepen regional cooperation in plant health management. “As we deliberate over the coming days, may our discussions lead to practical recommendations, stronger partnerships and sustainable actions that will enhance pest preparedness and resilience across West Africa,” he said. 

Dr Victor Clottey, the Regional Director for West Africa at CABI, said pest risk analysis was a specialised process used to assess either commodities that may carry dangerous pests or pests that could pose threats to a country’s agricultural systems. He said the approach helped countries to identify invasive species before they became widespread and caused extensive damage. “This skill is important because it helps countries know where dangerous pests are, whether they are in the sub-region and have not yet entered a country, or whether they are present but have not spread widely,” he explained. 

Dr Clottey emphasised that pest surveillance should not be limited to quarantine officers and plant protection specialists but should involve academia, research institutions and the wider public. “Anybody can observe something unusual and alert specialists to investigate. If a dangerous pest is detected early, we know how to contain or eradicate it before it spreads and causes havoc,” he said. 

Dr Clottey noted that regional cooperation was crucial because pests did not respect national borders. Using the example of Banana Bunchy Top Disease, which had been reported in some neighbouring countries but not in Ghana, he said early detection and containment in affected countries could prevent the disease from spreading across the sub-region. “We are looking at the whole sub-region. Once a threat is detected somewhere, we fight it there before it reaches other countries,” he said.

Dr Clottey warned that invasive pests impose enormous economic and social costs on African countries. He cited studies estimating that invasive species collectively cost Africa about US$7 billion annually, although the true cost was likely much higher because many impacts on livelihoods, education and health remained difficult to quantify. 

“These pests may be small or microscopic, but their effects are huge. They affect farmers’ incomes, food production, education, health and overall well-being. Some of these losses are simply priceless,” he added.