The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative in Africa (EOA-I) held its Steering Committee meeting in Yaounde in July 2025. This was an opportunity to relaunch the Central Africa platform of this African Union initiative.
The members of the steering committee of Ecological and Organic Agriculture in Africa (EOA-I) met from July 16 to 18, 2025, in the Cameroonian capital for their statutory meeting, which brought together members of the Initiative’s permanent secretariat and representatives from East and West Africa, sub-regional hubs already operational within EOA-I.
The choice of Yaounde as the venue for this important meeting made it possible to bring together, on the sidelines of the EOA-I steering committee, representatives of the countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to discuss the effective implementation of the Initiative in this sub-region.
Indeed, the first meeting between the permanent secretariat of EOA-I and stakeholders in Central Africa took place in December 2021 in Yaoundé, where EOA-I was officially launched in the sub-region, in collaboration with the Central African Organic Agriculture Knowledge Center (CCAB) project through its Knowledge Center for Organic Agriculture in Central Africa (KCOA). However, since 2021, these exchanges have not resulted in concrete actions. (CCAB) through its Organic Agriculture Knowledge Hub in Central Africa (PCAC). However, since 2021, discussions have not resulted in concrete actions. The July 2025 meeting will provide clarification on the process of implementing this Initiative in Central Africa.
An interim working group
Representatives from civil society organizations in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo the participants at the July 2025 meeting reiterated that ecological agriculture holds key challenges for the Central African sub-region on several fronts, including food security, environmental and biodiversity preservation, market access, and the fight against poverty and unemployment.
During their meeting, they established an Interim Technical Working Group (ITWG) tasked with developing a roadmap for the establishment and operation of the EOA-I Central Africa platform. The ITWG will be coordinated by a chairperson assisted by a technical secretary, both of whom will be drawn from PCAC member organizations.
At the end of their meeting, CSOs from Central Africa sent a message to the African Union via the EOA-I steering committee, affirming their commitment to supporting the promotion of organic agriculture and agroecology in the sub-region under the auspices of the AU, as is already the case in East and West Africa.
- Marie Pauline Voufo
