Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
ZIMBABWE has received 46 digital tablets preloaded with pest surveillance applications under the Africa Phytosanitary Programme (APP) as the country intensifies its fight against destructive crop pests threatening food security and trade.
The tablets were handed over after a training workshop held in Kadoma last week, which brought together over 50 national surveillance technicians for hands-on training in pest identification, mobile data collection and geospatial mapping.
The week-long training was conducted under the auspices of APP, an initiative of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat and the African union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture, Blue Economy and Environment (ARBE), in
collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
Addressing the participants, chief director for Research, Education and Specialist Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Dumisani Kutyawo said the digital tools will revolutionise how Zimbabwe monitors pests.
“Throughout this workshop, you will refresh and deepen your knowledge while gaining practical skills in pest identification, field surveillance, digital data collection and timely reporting,” Dr Kutyawo said.
“With the support of the IPPC Secretariat, FAO and our partners, you will also be equipped with digital pest surveillance tools and tablets that will enhance the speed and accuracy of data collection and reporting.”
The training focused on five major quarantine pests — Fusarium wilt, Diaphorina citri, Citrus Greening, Banana Bunchy Top Virus and Bactrocera spp (fruit flies) — which continue to pose serious threats to agricultural production and trade across Africa.
According to the IPPC Secretariat, the APP digital platform is expected to boost harmonisation of surveillance systems and ensure African countries comply with plant health standards.
“Empowering African countries with digital tools for regular pest surveillance and data collection ensures that countries ably comply with several plant health standards, including maintaining pest-free areas and mandatory reporting on pest presence,” said Mr
Descartes Koumba, implementation facilitation officer in the IPPC Secretariat during the workshop.
“I hope that by the end of the workshop, participants will master the effective use of these tools while championing the programme across the country.”
The Kadoma event follows a train-the-trainer workshop conducted in Egypt in 2023, where Zimbabwe and 10 other pilot countries first trained experts on APP tools.
These master trainers are now passing on their knowledge to frontline officers in Zimbabwe and beyond.
Participants in the workshop combined classroom instruction with field practice, including a full-day simulation of surveillance activities using the new tablets.
They also developed provincial surveillance work plans to ensure sustainability and roll-out of the digital monitoring tools across districts and ports of entry.
The APP programme, supported financially by the European Commission and the United Kingdom, is aimed at building phytosanitary capacity in all 54 African countries.
Zimbabwe is among 11 pilot countries, with nine others already moving into phase two.
Through the provision of the 46 tablets and technical training, officials say Zimbabwe is now better positioned to lead in modern pest surveillance and safeguard its agricultural sector from destructive outbreaks.
