53 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2026 • TRAINING AND EDUCATION consumables (substrates, chemicals, services) • Substrate checks (as an example of QA on validation and control of testing material) • Weight and temperature measurement and control (as an example of QA on measuring equipment and control of incubators for seed testing) • Sampling of seed lots and sample storage, before and after testing Lectures included information such as the revised ISTA Accreditation Standard (version 7.0; effective from 1 January 2024), how to perform internal audits and management review. For the technical aspects, information was shared on management of equipment, purchasing and quality control, with examples on balances and incubators for the equipment, and germination substrates for the consumables. Sampling and sample storage were also presented in detail. The quality management system, as well as the technical aspects, were presented and discussed, and supported with practical exercises. On the second part of the first day of the workshop, the host laboratory organised a visit to their facilities, including presentations of prepared workstations for the demonstration of: • Consumables check: validation of new batches of substrates for germination (paper and sand) – phytotoxicity check • Check of suitability of submitted sample containers for determination of seed moisture content • Equipment validation before use: cabinet/ incubator temperature profile for germination At the workstations, the laboratory staff highlighted the controls performed by an accredited laboratory. The lecturers had the opportunity to share their knowledge with 25 participants in total from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC), Mali, Morocco, Togo, Tunisia and Senegal. The participants were heads of governmental laboratories and heads of National Seed Certification agencies. Some agencies were not following the ISTA Rules before the workshop. The workshop was introduced with welcome speeches by Seynabou Diouf Mboup (representing the Director of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture of Senegal), Andreas Wais, Wilson Hugo and the lecturers. Florina Palada and Joël Léchappé presented an overview of the full workshop programme and objectives, and Florina then recorded the individual expectations for the workshop expressed by participants. The workshop started with an overview of ISTA and an introduction to quality assurance. During group work sessions, the participants took part in quizzes and were given the opportunity to participate in a specific activity on document control and how to address a non- conformity. Internal audit was organised around verification of sampling equipment, prepared by the laboratory. In the late afternoon of the second day, we all had the pleasure to participate in a social event by visiting the African Renaissance Monument, a 52-metre-tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills outside Dakar, known as the Collines des Mamelles. This was followed by a workshop dinner, which was hosted at the restaurant of the Axil Hotel where all participants were staying. Both events were highly appreciated by the participants, giving the opportunity to get to know each other better and to establish a communication and collaboration network, not only for the next days of the workshop, but also for the future. At the end of the workshop, the lecturers confirmed with the group that the expectations they expressed on the first day had been met. All agreed that it had been a great and valuable learning experience, increasing their knowledge and competence. The opportunity to meet colleagues from different countries and to share experiences was also highlighted. Requests given by the participants can be concluded as follows: • Establish a francophone African seed laboratory network • Plan follow-up training sessions in advanced laboratories • Provide targeted support to countries with low accreditation readiness • Coordinate with FAO country offices for integration of capacity building in seed testing in national projects Each participant was presented with a certificate showing recognition of their participation. Pictures were taken and the remaining time up to the last minute of the workshop was enjoyed. In the closing remarks, the lecturers and the participants expressed their appreciation and thanks to the laboratory staff for their efforts in organising such a special and useful event. Workshop participants at the African Renaissance Monument Receiving certificates of participation
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