WAVE ANNUAL MEETING IN ABUJA
CURTAIN ON WAVE’S SECOND ANNUAL MEETINGS
The West African Virus Epidemiology second annual meetings successfully completed.
From October 16th to 18th team members from the seven WAVE countries (Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Togo, DRC and Burkina Faso), from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and from partner projects gathered for the WAVE annual meetings in Abuja, Nigeria.
The meetings provided an opportunity to present updates on WAVE’s work. Furthermore, they allowed all WAVE country team leaders and students, experts in virology, entomology, epidemiological surveillance and in breeding to meet around the same objective: better understand and control cassava viruses.
3 days of interaction
WAVE’s 2nd annual meetings were officially launched with an opening ceremony graced by the presence of several Nigerian dignitaries among which, the deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and rural development and the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).
Representatives from the Universities and Institutions hosting the WAVE Program in Nigeria
(National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Covenant University, and Kebbi State University of Science and Technology) were also in attendance to convey their appreciation and support to the WAVE Program.
Following the opening ceremony, largely covered by the national press, all participants willingly accepted to play the game of ²musical chairs², evolving in groups around tables representing the WAVE countries, to interact with the country team leaders who presented a record of their achievements.
The meetings revised format was highly appreciated for the many and valuable interactions it allowed. The WAVE students’ poster presentations were also an illustration of these fruitful exchanges.
Words from our partners
Representatives from our principal donor, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation (BMGF), from our technical partners (Cambridge University, Rothamsted University and North Carolina State University, Scriptoria consulting firm) as well as our partnering institutions (NRI UK, MARI, NACRRI) all participated in the WAVE annual meetings through presentations, and interventions during the follow-up discussions.
Following the 3 days discussions, the 4 members of the WAVE Project Advisory Committee (PAC) expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved since WAVE’s first annual meetings, both in the geo-referencing of cassava viral diseases (CMD and CBSD) and the better understanding of their vectors and hosts. They made recommendations as to how WAVE can achieve all its objectives.
Handover to another WAVE Country
To conclude the annual meetings, a vote was held in order to pick the country that will be hosting the WAVE 3rd annual meetings. The country of men of High integrity (Burkina Faso), was chosen to host the 2018 WAVE annual meetings.
The WAVE 3rd annual meetings are already in our diaries. Let’s make it a date!
