CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Alex F. McCalla
Chair
19 April 1993
Dear Mr. Rajagopalan,
It is a pleasure to submit to you the Report of the Third External Programme and Management Review of WARDA which was conducted during January 1993 by a panel chaired by Mr. Declan Walton of Ireland. The panel report and the response of the WARDA Board of Trustees were considered by TAC at its 60th Meeting in March 1993 in the presence of the Panel Chair. WARDA was represented by Dr. Henri Carsalade, Chairman of the Board, Dr. Eugene Terry, Director General and Dr. Peter Matlon, Director of Research.
There are two attachments to this letter, in addition to the report of the panel. The first contains the TAC Commentary, which summarizes TAC's reactions to the panel's report and WARDA's response. The second attachment is the response of WARDA to the report of the External Review.
This is WARDA's first external review since its reorganization along the lines agreed in 1986. The review report shows that WARDA has undergone a major transformation, over the last five years, into a CGIAR international research centre. The panel found WARDA to be depoliticized and well managed, with a programme that is soundly designed. Its new team of scientists is of high-quality, and WARDA appears to have developed good mechanisms for working with national systems and other partners. Yet, WARDA has not been supported with the level of funding required to meet its objectives in full, and in the opinion of the panel, WARDA has been reduced close to the level of critical mass.
Mr. Visvanathan Rajagopalan
CGIAR Chair
World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20433
U.S.A.
WARDA has responded to the Group's wish to transform itself into a well-managed institute doing high quality research of relevance to West Africa. By all accounts WARDA is a successful institutional experiment for conducting regional research and the CGIAR should build on the experience gained from this experiment.
Yours sincerely,
Alex McCalla
Chair, TAC
Alexander von der Osten
Executive Secretary, CGIAR
Mail address: Technical Advisory Comm/CGIAR, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
Tel: (916) 752-8648/8649 - Telex: 4900010239 UCD UI - FAX (916) 752-8572
Office Location: 219 E St., Suite 2C, Davis, CA
