Seed systems are the cornerstone of agricultural transformation and a critical driver of food security, economic development, and climate resilience in Africa. However, despite the immense potential, the continent’s seed sector remains underdeveloped, which has limited productivity and threatened efforts to improve food security. To address the challenge, the Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA) hosted at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) held a Seed Industry Stakeholders Learning Event in Kampala, Uganda from 24th to 29th November 2024. The event, themed: “Cultivating Knowledge: Advancing Seed Systems Through Collaboration and Innovation,” brought together stakeholders from the seed sector in 12 African countries to share best practices and develop collaborations to address the challenges bedeviling the seed sector. Speaking at the opening Session of the learning event, Mr. Jonathan Said, Vice President, Center for Technical Expertise, AGRA, highlighted the importance of collaborations in addressing challenges in the seed sector in Africa. “True coordination comes from working together to solve specific problems, not just within government or the private sector, but by bridging gaps across research, policy, and industry,” Mr. Said stated. “The collaboration needed in the seed sector is about understanding the challenges faced by our colleagues in other domains and forming a unified effort to strengthen the entire system,” he emphasized.  AGRA, through CESSA, is working with African governments to enhance seed systems, drive agricultural transformation and improve livelihoods. Some of the interventions include training 653 breeders, supporting the establishment of 110 small and medium-sized seed companies, advocating policy reforms, and developing digital tools for better seed quality control. Dr. George Bigirwa, the Director, CESSA, highlighted AGRA’s work in advocating policy reforms to support the growth and development of seed systems in Africa. “AGRA’s policy initiatives focus on liberalizing production of early generation seeds that enable both public and private entities to meet the growing demand for diverse and adaptable seed varieties,” Dr. Bigirwa said. AGRA is working with regulatory agencies to support the development of robust seed quality standards to ensure farmers get access to high-quality seeds. This has encouraged private sector investment and increased the release of numerous climate-smart and resilient varieties which has contributed to increased crop yields and improved farmer incomes. AGRA has developed the Seed System Assessment Tool (SeedSAT), an innovative approach that provides a structured approach for governments and other stakeholders to systematically identify gaps and weaknesses in national seed systems across various thematic areas. The SeedSAT gives a framework for structured assessment, thereby facilitating data-driven decisions and targeted interventions to strengthen seed production, distribution, and adoption. “Through the insights gained from SeedSAT, governments and organizations can identify priority areas for investment and allocate resources more effectively to address critical challenges in seed systems,” Dr. Bigirwa said. The tool has so far been used in close to 22 countries to address the challenges in the seed sector. For instance, data and insights from SeedSAT have been used to develop Seed Investment Plans for countries like Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Ghana, and Nigeria, to improve seed systems with the approval of the respective ministries of agriculture.   AGRA also tracks progress using the Seed System Performance Index (SSPI), which evaluates national seed systems against specific indicators, providing a quick assessment of how countries are performing in terms of seed system development. The Index provides a standardized measure to assess the effectiveness of seed systems in different countries for comparison and benchmarking against best practices. “We use insights from the SSPI to focus our efforts on countries with low scores to implement strategies that will drive improvements in seed quality and availability.” Dr. Bigirwa said. In a keynote address, Dr. Claid Mujaju, the Director, Research and Specialists Services, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Zimbabwe, discussed the benefits of the regional variety release and registration systems, in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He emphasized the need for a simple, cost-effective system that aligns with regional initiatives and supports farmer access to the best varieties. He noted that regional seed systems should be designed to enhance seed security through streamlined processes, reduced costs, and improved integration between national and regional variety catalogues to empower farmers and promote agricultural resilience in the region. The SADC Harmonized Seed Regulatory System includes a regional variety catalogue that facilitates cross-border access to crop varietal choices. For instance, countries like Angola, Eswatini, and Mozambique have benefited from the availability of varieties through regional variety catalogues. “The system promotes the availability of crop varietal choices which leads to a more diverse and resilient seed system across the region,” Dr. Mujaju said. The Seed Industry Stakeholders Learning Event highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration in improving seed systems in Africa. AGRA’s continued efforts in seed system development are vital for enhancing food security, increasing farmer incomes, and strengthening resilience to climate change on the continent.

AGRA Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA) hosted representatives from over 11 National Seed Regulatory Agencies in Africa, for a learning session in Tanzania, in July 2024. The aim of the workshop was to provide a platform for discussion, learning, and collaboration among peers and participants to improve regulatory practices and compliance. The countries shared the status of their national seed regulatory frameworks, seed certification models, challenges and opportunities enabling learning from each other. The sessions garnered a lot of discussions and negotiations for further learning visits. Key highlights coming from the forum, reflected on opportunities for intervention to bridge pertinent challenges. At the same time, agri-led digital companies that support seed systems digitalization including MPedigree-Kenya, Ishirika and Quincewood- Tanzania showcased their successes and challenges in the countries they support. Almost all the countries except Burkina Faso do not have adequate numbers of public seed inspectors to ensure all the requisite seed inspections and certification, to ensure quality seed enters the market. The findings and recommendations from AGRA SeedSAT [1]assessment carried out in 11 AGRA focus countries under-pinned concurrence from the experts. Reducing the personnel gap in the seed inspection Another key challenge discussed was the varying levels of regulatory agents’ decentralization across countries. For example, Ghana has 45 public seed inspectors to inspect (four times) more than 50,000 hectares of land and Malawi has 32 public seed inspectors. This situation evidenced across many African countries, has necessitated most governments to change their regulations to enable the training and certification of private sector seed inspectors to help reduce personnel gap. Private sector inspectors attached to seed companies can ensure internal quality control so that even if the public sector cannot make the inspections quality seed is released to the market. Decentralization of seed regulatory agencies TOSCI in Tanzania has benefited from decentralization of its services, hence improving the efficiency of inspection, and reducing delays in seed certification. Other countries still face a few bottlenecks more due to centralized structures, resulting in slower certification processes. Private-public partnerships, including engaging private seed inspectors (PSIs), is amongst the solutions to reduce delays and increase efficiencies in seed inspection, and therefore ensure farmers access to quality seed. A private seed inspector from Rwanda shared the model used in their country where the private seed inspectors are paid by One Acre Fund as the regulations for the model are still being developed by the government. Additionally, market surveillance has proven essential in ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and protecting seed quality throughout the supply chain. Regular training and policy reviews are necessary to address issues such as breeder and farmer rights, as well as accountability and traceability in seed production. Role of digital tools in combating counterfeit seeds Digital tools are playing an increasingly critical role in combating the proliferation of counterfeit seeds by engaging farmers directly in the seed verification process. These tools enhance the seed certification system’s efficiency, bringing faster action, and improved accuracy in traceability, real time tracking monitoring, cost-reduction and digital inclusion for instance, the NASC Seed Codex scratch off tag used in Nigeria, TOSCI seed label in Tanzania’s and AgroTrack online system run by KEPHIS in Kenya  have bolstered farmer confidence, leading to a reduction in counterfeit products and improved access to genuine, high-quality seeds. The example of Agro-track system, a partnership between KEPHIS and mPedigree is helping farmers in verifying seed authenticity. The system is mandatory for all the seed companies operating in Kenya and has over 75 seed companies continuously using the system since its inception. Agrotrack’s traceability program captures more than 100 million agro-input products per annum. By empowering farmers and ensuring transparency, these systems support seed quality assurance processes, helping to identify and promote adoption of quality seed. Many other countries are making significant progress in adopting digital tools for seed tracking and certification. Some countries still face challenges due to weak policies, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of harmonization with international standards. A common theme across all countries represented was the need for stronger internal quality control, better infrastructure, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure a robust and reliable seed system. The Road ahead Despite significant progress, challenges remain. Weak policies, weak regulations, and laws to address culprits dealing with counterfeit seeds, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of harmonization with international standards persist in some countries. There is a need for continuous farmers awareness campaigns, seed companies to continuously train their staff to avoid a breakdown of operations. State agencies and NGO’s need to collaborate with seed stakeholders in the fight against counterfeits. The workshop concluded with a unanimous call for stronger internal quality control, better infrastructure, and ongoing capacity-building initiatives to create a robust and reliable seed system. The National Regulatory Agents Learning Workshop was a resounding success, paving the way for continued innovation, exchange of knowledge, and collaborations in seed system regulation. As participants returned home, they carried with them a renewed commitment to improving seed quality and food security across Africa. Authors:Dr. Rufaro Madakadze, Lead Capacity Building and Technical Services CESSADavid Situma Specialist Digital Learning Management CESSA, Zuhura Masiga Specialist Catalytic Grants CESSA [1] SeedSAT:  https://cessa.agra.org/analysis/