A delegation of Representatives and Assistant Representatives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO in West Africa visited Songhai Ouando on Thursday, March 26, 2015. As part of the 8th Multidisciplinary Meeting of the organization for West African countries in Cotonou on 25, 26 and 27 March, the FAO multidisciplinary team decided to visit Songhai Centre in Porto Novo. “The FAO Representative in Benin suggested us to visit this center which is a model center and as the FAO mission is also the development of agriculture, livestock, fisheries … we deemed it useful to come and see” said Amadou Ouattara, FAO Representative in Niger. At the end of the visit, he said he was very impressed by the discovery of the center and found similarities between the mission of both organizations. “Our role at the FAO, is to make the world free from hunger. And what Songhai is doing is really to produce, process and feed people, so we have the same mission” said the Representative, for whom Songhai is a very interesting development model to be replicated across Africa. And that is why the FAO, according to the Representative, should develop programs that will facilitate the stay of some farmers from West African countries in Songhai Centre, or programs that will be designed to send other agricultural entrepreneurs for internship in the center.
Nourou Makital, Officer in charge of programs and operations for West Africa in the FAO Regional Office for Africa will add that Songhai also meets FAO objective number 3, on poverty reduction. “This is a good model that can be developed gradually, working on the social, financial and technical aspects for the youths especially” he said.
Before the FAO Multidisciplinary team, Anne Sophie Poisot, was on visit in Songhai Centre on Saturday, March 14, 2015, on the occasion of the meeting of the African Cotton Association (ACA), in which she participated. After the visit, the Deputy Coordinator of the Farmer Fields Schools Training Program – West Africa Department of Production and Plant Protection met with the Management and marketing team of the center on the marketing strategy set up in Songhai and its strengthening.
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