Libreville hosts African plant protection workshop and cargo logistics summit

On 4 August 2026, Gabon’s Minister of the Sea, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Aimé Martial Massamba, opened the regional African workshop of the International Plant Protection Convention (CIPV) in Libreville. He stressed that “agriculture is the engine of economic growth, poverty reduction and food security on our continent” and warned that “plant protection is no longer just a technical issue, it is a matter of food‑sovereignty, biodiversity and economic survival.” The meeting, attended by FAO representatives, the director‑general of Gabon’s Food Security Agency Jean Delors Biyogue Bi Ntoungou and the Central African Pesticides Committee chief Jeannot Mbourou, focused on coordinated surveillance, early diagnosis and regional cooperation to safeguard crops against pests, diseases and climate‑related threats.

The following day, 5 August 2026, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) convened a working group at Leon Mba International Airport to improve the transfer of air‑freight cargo to customs‑bonded warehouses. Participants—including airline services, logistics firms, customs officials and security providers—mapped the cargo‑handling process and identified bottlenecks in customs procedures and inter‑agency communication. Operators reported that “the time to move goods from the aircraft to the bonded store generally does not exceed two hours,” but highlighted regulatory and coordination challenges that need addressing to streamline operations.