The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) and the Regional Innovative System for Fruit Fly Control in West Africa (SyRIMAO) Project, has supported the development and validation of two innovative fruit flies control technologies: Mango Protect and SEN-BIOTRAP.

Both solutions were registered in Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin (2023-2025). There were officially registered for the Sahel region during the 12th session of the Comité Sahélien des Pesticides (CSP), held from 6 to 13 May 2026 in Bamako, Mali. They are now included on the positive list of authorized products (lines 35 and 45).

Developed from locally sourced raw materials by West African researchers, these technologies aim to sustainably protect mango orchards, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase producers’ incomes.

The manufacturing process of SEN-BIOTRAP is patented with the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI). Mango Protect is certified by Ecocert Europe and was awarded the Abdoulaye Touré Innovation Prize 2024 at the Agricultural Technologies Innovation Market (MITA), organized by the Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles (CORAF) / FSRP.

This registration marks a significant milestone in the recognition and promotion of local agricultural innovations and reinforces regional efforts toward sustainable, competitive, and value-creating agriculture.

To recall :

Mango Protect: A High-Impact Eco-Friendly Biopesticide

Developed in Burkina Faso and tested in several other West African countries, Mango Protect is a natural biopesticide designed to control fruit flies, the main pest affecting the mango value chain. It holds international organic certification.

Key features :

• • Mode of action: Used as a food attractant in traps, it targets both male and female fruit flies, significantly reducing overall populations,
• • Effectiveness: A single trap can capture up to 75 flies per day, increasing marketable mango yields by up to 40%,
• • Safety: Classified under WHO toxicity category U (unlikely to present acute hazard under normal use) by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is non-irritating, free of chemical pesticides, and contains no contaminants,
• • Regional distribution: The product is distributed and used in several West African countries, including Burkina Faso, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Togo.

SEN-BIOTRAP : A Patented Biocontrol Solution

Developed in Senegal and tested in several other West African countries, SEN-BIOTRAP is a biopesticide and sexual attractant derived from essential oils. It is designed for the mass trapping of male fruit flies, particularly Bactrocera dorsalis and certain species of the genus Ceratitis, without the use of toxic chemical substances.

How it works :

• • Targeted action: It uses an essential oil-based formulation containing methyl eugenol to attract male flies into specific local traps.
• • Environmental advantage: A biocontrol solution free from synthetic pesticides, contributing to the sustainable reduction of fruit fly populations in orchards,
• • Complementary approach: It is often used in combination with Mango Protect, which targets fruit flies of both sexes through a plant protein-based food attractant.

By combining scientific innovation, local resource valorisation, and regional registration, the two technologies demonstrate the strong potential of West African research to advance food security and foster economic development of producers.