Freetown, Sierra Leone, 21 April 2026 — The Alliance and the Crop Protection Unit (CPU) has launched a new project in Sierra Leone to support the digitalisation of phytosanitary certification by introducing the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) ePhyto Solution.
The project was formally announced during a kick-off event bringing together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the National Revenue Authority, the Crop Protection Unit and business associations The event marked the start of the implementation phase and signalled strong institutional support for the project.
In Sierra Leone, phytosanitary certificates are currently fully paper-based. Manual procedures can be slow and prone to errors, increasing the risk of delays, document loss or damage, and additional costs for traders.
The Alliance’s project will support the configuration and deployment of the Generic ePhyto National System (GeNS), provide training for Crop Protection Unit staff and selected private-sector users, equip officials with the necessary IT tools and pilot exchanges of electronic certificates before scaling up nationwide use.
“Supporting Sierra Leone in introducing electronic phytosanitary certification will help make certification procedures faster, more secure and easier to manage for agricultural exports. As part of the Regional ePhyto Window funded by Sweden, this project also contributes to wider efforts to strengthen digital trade across Africa,” said Alliance Director, Philippe Isler.
“This system will improve efficiency, transparency, and reliability in the issuance and exchange of certificates, facilitating safer and faster trade in agricultural commodities,” said Sahr Hemore, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
By replacing paper certificates with secure digital documents, the project is expected to reduce delays and administrative costs, improve the efficiency of certification procedures and strengthen the security and traceability of phytosanitary documents.
Following the kick-off event, the project team will continue strategic planning with national authorities and start capacity-building sessions for an initial group of users on the GeNS system.
