COLEAD contributed to workshops in Douala in July for the organisations supporting SMEs across the region's eleven countries, under the PAIRIAC programme.
Agrifood SMEs in Central Africa face a recurring problem: their consignments are rejected at EU borders. The SPS component of the PAIRIAC programme (Programme d'appui à l'intégration régionale et à l'investissement en Afrique centrale), funded by the European Union in partnership with ECCAS and CEMAC, addresses precisely that. The workshops held in Douala from 14 to 17 July 2026 brought together the organisations that support those companies across the region's eleven countries, with COLEAD contributing trough the FFM+ programme.
Training those who support the SMEs
The first two days covered EU SPS legislation, import procedures, pesticide management and biological contaminants — most of what triggers a refusal at the border. COLEAD set out the EU requirements applying imports of food products, along with the resources regional stakeholders can draw on to prepare for them: the AGRINFO programme for regulatory monitoring, the e-learning offer and the online library.
From audit to recommendations
16 and 17 July were given over to the technical assistance restitution. The PAIRIAC technical team presented its audit report, and participants drew up recommendations aimed at addressing non-tariff barriers on a lasting basis rather than case by case.
What the discussions brought out
Regulatory harmonisation between CEMAC and ECCAS remains the sticking point. One avenue emerged from the exchanges: UNIDO's experience in West Africa, through its ATCMA programme, in setting up the West African Accreditation System (SOAC). That precedent could inform PAIRIAC's next steps in Central Africa.
This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS.