From March 10 to March 13, the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Project on Sustainable Fall Armyworm Management was implemented in Accra, Ghana. The core objective of this initiative was to conduct pilot demonstrations of China’s advanced technologies in fall armyworm (FAW) monitoring and early warning, integrated pest management (IPM), and large-scale mass rearing of natural enemies in Ghana. Professor Yang Daibin, Associate Professor Zhang Tiantao, and Associate Professor Zhang Haowen from the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPPCAAS), along with Professor Li Zhenyu from the Institute of Plant Protection, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, provided technical support for the project's implementation. A total of 50 agricultural technicians from FAO and local Ghanaian institutions participated in the training.

On March 10, the opening ceremony of the training was grandly held. Dr. Maged Elkahky, FAO project lead, delivered a speech at the ceremony, providing a detailed introduction to the background, implementation details, and progress of the initiative. He emphasized that this IPM training is a key application phase of the overall project and expressed his expectation that this event would contribute to achieving the project's predetermined objectives by the end of the year.

Experts from IPPCAAS conducted in-depth lectures on four key topics: predictive modeling and system development for FAW population dynamics in Africa, field trial design, mass rearing of natural enemies, and integrated pest management techniques.

Through on-site visits to Ghanaian biological laboratories and demonstration fields, the participants gained a deeper understanding of FAW outbreaks in Ghana and existing gaps in control strategies. Adjustments and optimizations were made to the field trial protocols based on local conditions, and the next steps and phased tasks were clearly defined.

Arnold Amppiah, the event organizer, expressed high appreciation for China's technological advancements and achievements in FAW control, stating that China’s monitoring and early warning technologies would provide valuable experience for Ghana in building a comprehensive FAW management system. Peter Ketting, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture, highly praised China’s FAW monitoring and early warning solutions, expressed gratitude to IPPCAAS experts for their contributions to the project, and conveyed confidence in the prospects for agricultural technology cooperation between China and Ghana. He looked forward to further exchanges and deeper collaboration in the future.

This training effectively promoted and facilitated the implementation of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Project on Sustainable Fall Armyworm Management in Ghana, marking an important milestone in the project's execution.