Lomé to host major African cotton sector review meeting
From April 14 to 17, 2026, Lomé will become the meeting point for key players in the African cotton industry during the 18th review meeting of the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa (PR-PICA). For four days, producers, researchers, and decision-makers from eight West and Central African countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Chad, and Togo will work on ways to strengthen the performance and sustainability of this strategic crop.
The gathering will bring together a wide range of stakeholders: representatives of cotton companies, industry associations, research institutes, producer organizations, and agri-pharmaceutical firms.
Together, they will examine the results of the 2025-2026 campaign, which serves as a valuable indicator of the sector’s health across the sub-region.
The Lomé talks aim to thoroughly analyze production performance, identify challenges encountered in the field, and formulate concrete perspectives for improving the productivity and competitiveness of African cotton.
Discussions will focus particularly on integrated production management approaches, with special emphasis on pest control, preserving soil fertility, and adapting to climate variations through the development of more resilient new varieties.
These discussions come at a crucial time for Togo, where the cotton sector has experienced turbulence in recent years marked by declining production and structural challenges.
The Lomé meetings could therefore play a decisive role for Togolese cotton farmers seeking innovative solutions and shared strategies to sustainably revive their activity.
By promoting the pooling of experiences and convergence of efforts among the eight participating countries, this meeting aims to lay the foundations for more efficient, competitive, and resilient African cotton production in the face of international market challenges and climate change.
Chantal Tawelessi
