(Ecofin Agency) - In Algiers, the Anti-Locust Committee for the West African Region (CLCPRO in French) just announced the creation of a $6 million regional fund to control the locust threat. This sum will be mobilized by various member-states of the committee.

“Launching this regional fund will help better control locust activity by allowing the various interventions mechanisms to take action at the right time and initiate national counter measures,” said Algerian minister of agriculture, rural development and fishery, Abdessalam Chelghoum.

According to the official, the fund will act as a preventive tool rather than respond to locust invasions. He emphasized its importance mentioning that the phenomenon over the 2003-2005 period cost $570 million. The executive secretary of CLCPRO, Mohamed Lemine Hamonay, said this amount represented 170 years of preventive control.

Welcoming the initiative, FAO’s regional representative for Middle East and North Africa, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed legitimized it saying “it is often difficult to mobilize funds from partners under short periods of time”. According to him, “it’s the major reason for subsequent crises”.

Algiers-based CLCPRO counts 10 members namely: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Senegal.

Aaron Akinocho