BLOG: Protecting plants and people from pests, the Africa Phytosanitary Programme is on a roll

By Enrico Perotti, Secretary, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

Every year, about 40 percent of global crop yield is lost to pests, causing economic loss of over USD 220 billion, with invasive insects alone responsible for at least USD 70 billion. The risks are accelerating. Extreme weather events, shifting rainfall patterns and rapidly expanding trade and travel are enabling pests to move faster and farther, establishing in new territories.

Africa, with the world’s fastest-growing population, stands at a crossroads. Plant pests wipe out 30 to 60 percent of the continent’s crops each year, causing USD 65.5 billion¹ in losses, leading to increased hunger and food insecurity, lower rural incomes, biodiversity loss and barriers to international markets. With many countries experiencing critical gaps in their ability to detect, manage and prevent pest outbreaks effectively, Africa cannot afford to wait for the next plant pest outbreak. Africa must invest now in phytosanitary systems and tools to protect its food supply chains and gain better access to global markets.

The Africa Phytosanitary Programme: A game changer for plant health in the region

The Africa Phytosanitary Programme (APP) is proving what is possible when countries choose action over vulnerability. Launched in September 2023 as a pilot, the APP is already transforming how national plant health authorities monitor, detect, and respond to their priority plant pests such as red palm weevil and fruit flies.

The APP introduces digital surveillance tools, procedures, and protocols that enable countries to monitor pests in real time. With data available both online and offline, field inspectors can analyze and generate pest reports, and store data in a centralized system, improving decision-making and traceability.

The APP's unique train-the-trainer model further strengthens plant health capacity. Four to five plant health officers are trained at a regional level using digital tools specifically designed under the Programme. In turn, they train more plant health inspectors and other stakeholders in their respective countries. In only three years, countries are already demonstrating what modernized plant health systems can deliver: stronger early warning systems to protect crops, reliable pest status data, fewer interceptions of pests on crop exports, and greater access to new markets. In Egypt, the national plant protection organization (NPPO) reports that harmonized surveillance data and better technical proposals, with reliable data on pest-free production of key commodities such as citrus, mango and grapes, have supported new market openings in the Dominican Republic and Peru. Additionally, Egypt's negotiations with China, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Viet Nam, and several African countries continue to rely on APP evidence.

By June 2026, over 650 phytosanitary personnel had been trained in monitoring priority pests at regional and national levels. With better data and improved surveillance, diagnostics, and risk analysis, countries can respond more effectively to pest spread and effectively comply with international plant health standards. In Kenya, the NPPO reports that threats of the banana bunchy top virus and Fusarium wilt of banana are being kept at bay, thanks to regular surveillance using APP digital tools. Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have formally integrated APP into their national phytosanitary systems, strengthening data coordination. The APP GIS Hub further supports these efforts by consolidating survey results into a single, reliable platform.

Coordinated by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and implemented in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Union Department on Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (DARBE), the African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, and the Near East and North Africa Plant Protection Organization, APP has grown significantly. Starting with 11 countries: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, APP expanded to add nine countries in phase 2: Algeria, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.

Phase 3 starts in July 2026 with a train-the-trainer workshop in Addis Ababa. It is the largest expansion of the APP to date, bringing 18 more countries on board and building a critical mass of trained personnel. This is not just scaling a programme, but building Africa’s ability – to scale – to protect plant resources from pests, ensure food security, trade better globally and manage climate change pressures.

APP’s success demonstrates the value of strategic partnerships, investment in institutional structures, tools and human resources. The cost of inaction is greater than the investment required, it is time to act now.

From Africa to the world: supporting a global framework to protect plant health

APP aligns with the IPPC goal of ensuring that countries can implement harmonized measures to prevent pest spread and protect food security, trade and the environment. It supports the African Union 15-year Plant Health Strategy for Africa that seeks to “build a vibrant, robust and practical plant health system that protects food security, improves livelihoods and expands safe trade”.

Africa’s success with APP is getting noticed. During the launch on APP phase 3, Yemen will participate as an observer, underscoring the programme’s growing global relevance and the demand for its model outside Africa. Currently, the IPPC Secretariat is involved in discussions to expand the APP model to other regions, including the Pacific and the Caribbean.

To strengthen collaboration and maximize the impact of initiatives such as the APP, the IPPC Secretariat, FAO, the African Union and international and regional partners will convene a Strategic Partnership Forum in July 2026. The evidence is clear: investing in strong phytosanitary systems is not merely a technical necessity- it is an economic and strategic imperative. Such investments safeguard biodiversity and the environment, enhance food security and rural livelihoods, and enable countries to meet international market requirements, thereby facilitating the export of high-quality and safe agricultural products to global markets.