Westafrica management

West Africa Project Coordination and Management

1. Constitute Project Steering Committee [IITA by February 15]
   1. CGIAR (4): IITA, ICRISAT, AfricaRice, IFPRI
   2. NARS (2): CSIR, IER
   3. USAID: Jerry
   4. Cross-project linkage representative: (ILRI)
   5. Cross-project research representative: Sieg Snapp (MSU)
   6. CRP 1.1 representative WA: (ICRAF)
   7. CRP 1.2 representative: ?
   8. CRSP representative: ?
   9. Coordinator (ex-officio): Irmgard
   10. CORAF?
2. Steering committee meetings
   1. Meet in person once/year
   2. Meet virtually at least quarterly
3. Formal agreements
   1. Project agreement (IITA-USAID)
   2. IITA->ICRISAT, AfricaRice etc. sub-contracts [April 1]
4. Project documents
   1. M&E plan (Stan Woods) [April 1?]
   2. Logframe (Drafting team: IITA-Alpha, ICRISAT-Eva, AfricaRice-Olupomi, IFPRI-Stan, IWMI-Fred, ICRAF-Antoine K., ILRI-Abdou F., AVRDC-Abdou T., CSIR- Stephen, IER-Diarisso) [April 1]
   3. Concept note (Drafting team) [March 1]
   4. Annual workplan and budget (through Sept 2012; Irmgard) [March 15]
   5. Report Oct. 2011-Dec. 2011 [Jan 31]
   6. Year 1 Activities
      1. Anchor site activity descriptions
      2. Technology transfer descriptions
      3. CGIAR/NARS staff recruitment as needed
      4. Funding of activities (planting season begins as early as May)
   7. Research Design Process
      1. Analyze research models (Mother-baby design: Snapp, SANREM, ICRISAT, IITA, N2Africa)
   8. Site selection process
      1. Site characterization [April 1]
      2. Component inventory (relevant work, technology, practices; Stan asks NARS, CGIAR)
      3. Identification of partners (research and development; Steering Committee)
   9. Design scientifically rigorous research plan [September 30 – if by June 1, can plant in 2012]
      1. overall experimental design [March 1]
      2. identify treatments, controls, packages
      3. methodology: data collection, management
      4. technology transfer plan
5. Research Design Team
   1. NARS, Alpha, Eva, Sibiry, Vara Prassad, social scientist, ILRI, AfricaRice, IFPRI M&E, ICRAF
6. Research Design Review [June 1]
   1. NARS, Jerry Glover, Ajayi Olupomi, Sieg Snapp, ILRI-Addis
7. Implementation
   1. Implementation workshops
   2. Fast-track work plans
   3. Detailed work plans from design process if appropriate
   4. Communication
      1. Jerry and Irmgard talk weekly
      2. Irmgard talks weekly with ICRISAT, AfricaRice, IITA
      3. Keep well informed:
         1. USAID/Mali
         2. USAID/Ghana
         3. USAID/West Africa
         4. CRSPs

Queries and Comments from group:

• Subcontracts may be onerous for reporting
• Communication should be within wider group, partners
• Steering committee has only research: other stakeholders including farmers unions? CORAF?
• External advisory committee needed?
• Prefinancing? Planning costs, etc.