Building on this background the objectives of the workshop are to

• take stock of the first year of implementation of the three year capacity development programme for ABS in the African region and provide guidance for its further implementation;
• continue exchanging experiences with bioprospecting cases in the region to foster the implementation of ABS regulations at the national and local level - new cases and follow-up on case studies discussed in previous workshops under the initiative - and to build a broad basis for the development of best practices for ABS in Africa;
• reflect on the outcomes of WGABS-5 and discuss elements relevant for Africa on the agenda of the upcoming WGABS-6 in January 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.