Audit of the National Directorate of Agriculture (DNA) in Guinea Guinea

Context of the service

Guinea's agricultural sector is facing new challenges:
- Economic: very ambitious growth objectives set in the National Agricultural Investment, Food Security and Nutrition Program 2nd phase - PNIASAN2 (Minagri, 2018);
- Social: Strengthen food security and food self-sufficiency, in a context of significant population growth and growing pressure on land (linked to population growth, but also to land degradation);
- Environmental: Promote innovative, more productive and nature-friendly agricultural practices (agroecology and climate-smart agriculture), in a context of land degradation and climate change.
To face these new challenges, but also to anticipate the process of decentralization of technical services, the functioning of the National Directorate of Agriculture (DNA) was analyzed and recommendations were proposed.

Services provided

Two field missions made it possible to audit the central services of the DNA, but also four regional directorates and five prefectural directorates, on the following aspects:
- Mandates of the service: Adequacy with policies? With the expectations of professionals? With new global challenges (land degradation, climate change, etc.)? Etc.
- Organization of the service: Clear and operational organization chart? Positions filled? Clear job descriptions? Application of the principle of subsidiarity? Coordination/planning of activities? Effective supervision of agents? Etc.
- Agent management: Initial qualification and experience of agents? Continuing education? Suitability of profiles for job descriptions? Etc.
- Means: Buildings / Means of transport / communication / IT adapted and sufficient? Etc.
242 individual interviews were also conducted to analyse the career histories, expectations and needs of the agents.
In the end, 13 key recommendations were made: increase of resources, organization of data, census of agents, etc.;

Summary of the service

Complete audit of the National Directorate of Agriculture (DNA) and its decentralized services (Regional and Prefectural Directorates): Knowledge of local agricultural contexts; Alignment of activities with national policies and emerging environmental challenges (including adaptation of agriculture to climate change); Internal organization; Management of financial and logistical resources; Key recommendations for the redesign of the DNA.