Tirer les leçons des projets-pilotes pour une meilleure adaptation aux changements climatiques en Afrique de l’Ouest

4 - 5 October 2022. Online regional workshop organized by the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA), as part of the Global Climate Change Alliance – West Africa (GCCA+) project AO). - Draw lessons from pilot projects for better adaptation to climate change in West Africa.

This workshop is based on a vast capitalization project involving the promoters of 15 pilot projects from 11 West African countries within the framework of the GCCA+ AO project, with the support of Expertise France and a consortium of 3 design offices (Ramboll, Oréade Brèche and Com4Dev). This cross-capitalization exercise was designed to understand the conditions for successful adaptation in the context of CSA and agroecology projects.

The presentations and debates were articulated more particularly around 3 capitalization themes:

1. Integrated water resource management;
2. Climate services;
3. Capacity building in the face of climate change.

The results of the capitalization - of which the workshop is a step - will contribute to ECOWAS's mission of supporting its Member States towards a trajectory of climate resilience, in particular in the development or updating of National Action Plans. Agricultural Investment and Food and Nutritional Security (PNIASAN) in which countries will eventually be able to better integrate the climate dimension based on the relevant practices identified and which will be strengthened through the implementation of the ECOWAS regional climate strategy adopted by the 15 Member States this year.

• Learn more about the GCCA+ AO project 
• En savoir plus sur le projet GCCA+ AO
• Press Release

WEBINAR: The Role of Parliamentarians in Enhancing Responsible Investments in Agriculture

15 December 2020. Africa Launch | The Role of Parliamentarians in Enhancing Responsible Investments in Agriculture for the Transition Toward More Sustainable Food Systems in Africa.

• Note conceptuelle en français (PDF, 175.39 KB)
• Conceptual Note English (PDF, 167.01 KB)

The FAO, the International Institute For Sustainable Development (IISD), the Pan-African Parliament, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament organized an event on the role of parliamentarians in enhancing responsible investments in agriculture for the transition toward more sustainable food systems in Africa.

Based on their experience working with parliamentarians, in 2020, FAO and the IISD joined forces to develop a practical handbook that provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the role that parliamentarians can play in the creation of “enabling environments” in several areas related to investment in agriculture and food systems. It includes guidance notes alongside examples of legislation and good practices. 

This event aimed to:

• Raise awareness of the importance of responsible investment in agriculture and food systems for the achievement of the SDGs.
• Bring together parliamentarians from different parties and catalyze discussions on their concrete role in the enhancement of responsible agricultural investment (RAI) within Africa.
• Launch Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems. A Practical Handbook for Parliamentarians and Parliamentary advisors. 

Speakers:

• Moderator: Ms. Femi Oke , Senior Host/Journalist
• Presenter: Richard Florizone
• Mr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, FAO
• Mr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament
• Hon. Martin Ngoga, Speaker of  the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA)
• Ms. Aleksandra Blagojevic, Programme Manager for International Development, IPU
• Hon. Halimatou Mamane ECOWAS network of parliamentarians on gender equality and investments in Agriculture and Food Security
• Hon. Yves Fernand Manfoumbi, Secretary General, Network of Parliamentary Alliances for Food and Nutritional Security, Central African countries
• Hon. Ruhakana Albert, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda
• Mr. Jean Leonard Touadi, FAO
• Ms. Emma Mc Ghie, FAO
• Hon. Jean Kouka, National Assembly of Congo, Representative from l’Alliance Parlementaire Congolaise pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle (APCSAN)
• Dr. Mrs Jehad Alfadhel, Deputy Chairwoman of the parliamentary network for food security in Africa and the Arab World
• Hon. Kone Dognon, Member of the Pan African Parliament

Resource

REPORT: FAO and IISD. 2020. Responsible investments in agriculture and food systems – A practical handbook for parliamentarians and parliamentary advisors. Rome. December 2020, 118 pp.

The handbook provides a catalogue of prescriptions, through guidance notes, examples of good practices, and very practical indications that members of parliament and parliamentary advisors can use to create a reliable, coherent, and transparent “enabling environment” in several areas related to investment in agriculture and food systems.

 

Background:

• African parliamentarians started advocating for more, better, and equitable investment in agriculture in 2011 with a four-year continental campaign led by the Pan-African Parliament in collaboration with regional parliamentarians’ bodies, the African Union Commission (AUC), New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and IISD. The campaign was entitled Making Investment Work for Africa. The focus of this first phase was on raising awareness about the impact of large-scale land-based investment. 
• A second phase started in 2014, focusing on the need to strengthen the legal and policy framework for agriculture investment in developing countries to direct foreign investment in agriculture and food systems toward sustainable development outcomes that benefit rural poor populations. Led by IISD in collaboration with African parliamentarians, the initiative focuses on improving transparency and strengthening legal frameworks related to sustainable investment in agriculture and food systems while supporting the implementation of the CFS RAI.
• In 2016, the 250 members of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) established the Pan-African Parliamentary Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security (PAPA-FSN) under a Memorandum of Understanding with the FAO. 
• At the end of 2019, a plenary session of the PAP approved the draft Model Law on Food Security and Nutrition in Africa and authorized regional consultations on it. 

Related: 

7 December 2020. Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems.

WEBINAR: Parliamentarians' Action for Gender Equality and Food Security as a Response to COVID-19

18 June 2020. Webinar | Parliamentarians' Action for Gender Equality and Food Security as a Response to COVID-19

This virtual meeting was the first in a series of dialogues organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IISD, and Oxfam as part of their policy support to the ECOWAS Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality and Investments in Agriculture and Food Security.

The objective of the series is to enhance the role of African parliamentarians in mitigating the gender-differentiated impacts of COVID-19 on food systems.

Recording made available on 02/07

This virtual meeting was the first in a series of dialogues organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IISD, and Oxfam as part of their policy support to the ECOWAS Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality and Investments in Agriculture and Food Security. The objective of the series is to enhance the role of African parliamentarians in mitigating the gender-differentiated impacts of COVID-19 on food systems.

Speakers:

• Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO
• Siga Fatima Jagne, Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• Ana Regina Segura Martínez, Head of Unit for Rural Development, Food and Nutrition, Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development
• Monica Eva Copa, President of the Senate, Bolivia
• Jario Flores, General Coordinator of the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Soraya Rodriguez, Member, EU Parliamentary Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition
• Mathias Kasamba, Chairperson, Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resource, East African Legislative Assembly
• Teresa Cálix Raudales, Honduran Representative and Coordinator, Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Mesoamerica
• Abdoulaye Vilane, Chairperson, ECOWAS Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality, Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Security
• Tacko Ndiaye, Senior Gender Officer, FAO
• Francine Picard, Policy Officer, IISD 

Resources:

• CALL FOR ACTION | Call to action of parliamentarians 18 June 2020 (see related event above)
• COMMENTARY | Ensuring a Balance of Power in the Face of COVID-19 June 2020
• BLOG | How are African governments responding to avert a COVID-19 hunger crisis? 24 June 2020
• EVENT'S REPORT | Webinar with African ministers, 10 June 2020 (available in English and French) (3 pages) See PAEPARD blogpost of 10/06

Upcoming event:
The next event from this series of dialogues will take place on the 22 July 2020

Regional information/sensitization of private sector and SMEs on SPS

22 – 24 November 2017. ABIDJAN (COTE D’IVOIRE). The USAID/West Africa Regional Mission supports the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to advance their vision to create an economic union and common market. In line with this objective ECOWAS is implementing many agreements designed to support the free movement of goods and people throughout the region. In standards, CILSS and USAID/West Africa  focuses on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards.

A sensitization workshop was organised where private sector actors and youth enterprises came together to strategize for the benefit of their corporation. It was an opportunity to better understand SPS issues that could impact negatively on intra-regional and international trade. The goal being boosting market access and economic growth in ECOWAS region and Africa at large.

The objectives of this workshop were:

• to sensitize private sector actors and youth enterprises on SPS matters,
• to share benefits and success stories on implementing SPS requirements. 
• to review and document private sector and youth enterprise challenges as far as SPS matters are concerned

The following association or organization were targeted:  SMEs (Two representatives per country (Member States) of private export organizations of selected priority value chains concerned  Regional Professional organization of priority agricultural value chains, (e.g. ACA),  Patronat such as Federation of Patronal organization of West Africa (FOPAO)  Chamber of commerce Benin,  Federation of West Africa Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI)  Consumer associations Benin- Nigeria – Ghana- Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal,  ECOWAS, / ARA  ECOWAS country representative for open ceremony only.  UNIDO  USAID  UEMOA  Hub Rural  USAID  UEMOA  Hub Rural  Bureau FAO-régional  AU-IBAR  CILSS  AGRYMET  WAHO  Secrétariat du Codex Alimentarius, Rome, Italie

Selection of some presentations 

Forum on Women’s Access to Appropriate Agricultural Technology

A gender sensitive panel

7 to 9 June  2017.Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The Four-Country Cotton Partnership (USAID C4CP) a project implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the African Union (AU), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), organized a forum on Women’s Access to Appropriate Agricultural Technology.

Over 100 participants drawn from the West African region attended this forum, with a specific focus on the C-4 countries. Regional organizations such as the African Union (AU), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) as well as members of the Community of Practice on Gender Cotton and Food Security were also present. Coordinators of the ECOWAS agriculture policy (ECOWAP) as well as female producers and processors shared their experiences.

The forum:

• Reviewed the existing innovative technological initiatives, policies and strategies.
• Evaluated the existing level of use of farming equipment and technologies by small holder farmers.
• Facilitated the sharing of experience to improve access and adoption of appropriate technologies and innovations by female farmers and processors.
• Identified gender-smart technologies and innovations for planned pilot Incubation Centers of the USAID C4CP project in the C4 countries.
• Made recommendations to government, regional institutions and all stakeholders on effective ways and means of enhancing women’s access and adoption of appropriate agricultural technologies and innovations in order to raise productivity at the farm level.

Other CORAF event
13-14 June 2017. Accra. Stakeholders and Agricultural experts from the West African countries converged for a Two-Day consultative meeting seeking ways to consolidate progress made so far on food security issues in the sub-region.
The Two-Day Learning Event dubbed ‘Catalytic Innovation for Agricultural Transformation’ provided a roadmap to spur the growth of the national and regional seed industry.

The World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported the Sub-regional bloc ECOWAS in implementing two mutually reinforcing flagship programs ; The West African Seed Program (WASP) and the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAPP) focusing on seven member states but with regulations throughout all 15 member countries in addition to Mauritania and Chad which are not in the sub-region.

FIRST-FAO and EU Policy Guidance Notes

Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) represents a strategic partnership between FAO and the EU, whereby the EU is making a significant investment of nearly €8 billion in over 60 countries during the 2014–2020 period to improve food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA).

Current FIRST priority countries include:

• Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Uganda, ECOWAS (sub-regional organization based in Nigeria);
• Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Pakistan, Solomon islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu;
• Europe and Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan;
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Suriname;
• Near East: West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Through FIRST FAO adds value to the investment made by the EU, governments and other partners to have more direct and tangible impact.

• It provides policy assistance and capacity development support through a network of policy officers (currently 30 policy officers) based at the ministries or national institutions.
• FAO and EU collaborate closely in steering planning and implementation of FIRST both at country level through the FAO Representations and EU Delegations and at global level through FAO headquarters and DEVCO, Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition Unit (C1). 
• FIRST is active in 32 countries , one territory and the subregional organization of ECOWAS for provision of policy assistance support.

The Policy Guidance Notes are key documents for the provision of policy assistance support to the member countries, as they guide the decision makers, policy officers, and the national stakeholders in their work on sharpening the focus of a particular sector or policy domain on food security and nutrition. 

The notes will further support the integration of food security and nutrition objectives into sectoral policies, and will promote a better understanding of how sectoral policies could affect the food security and nutrition situation.

The series includes an overall introductory note on policy coherence, and sector specific notes on Fisheries, Forestry, Livestock, Climate Change, Social Protection, Gender Equality, Land Tenure, and Political Economy Analysis.

• 

  Issue 7

  Land Tenure

  Read the note
• 

  Issue 8

  Political economy analysis

  Read the note
• 

   

  Introduction

  Read the note
• 

  Issue 1

  Fisheries and Aquaculture

  Read the note
• 

  Issue 2

  Livestock

  Read the note
• 

  Issue 3

  Forestry

  Read the note

Reducing Post-Harvest Losses to Increase the Value of Vegetable Products

2 March 2017. Reducing Post-Harvest Losses to Increase the Value of Vegetable Products (2 pages) Policy brief from ECOWAS, New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Currently, substantial al amount of vegetables products are lost through limited availability of technologies and related infrastructure for post-harvest activities. This negatively impacts on incomes of vegetable farmers and the pursuit for national food and nutrition on security. Post-harvest losses in the vegetable value chain are associated with the perishable nature of the products and this is made worse by the weak links in the post-harvest value chain itself.

Most advocacy for the control of post-harvest losses in the vegetable value chain focuses on the cold chain and its related sophistication. However, for West African countries proper training and orientation on of actors within the post-harvest value chain (producers, middle men and women and retailers) and other related infrastructure are more critical than sophisticated machinery geared towards maintaining the cold chain.

Realizing the full potentials of the contribution of vegetables in the national economy depends largely on addressing bottlenecks in the post-harvest value chain. However, limited investments in processing and packaging facilities are a major hindrance in improving quality and lengthening shelf lives of vegetables produced in West African countries.

Recommendations

• Governments of West African countries to consider matching grants to private sector actors in the vegetable post-harvest value chain.
• Addressing post-harvest lost in the vegetable value chain requires strategic cooperation and communicate on between research and extension in this regard, a five year strategic plan focusing on research and extension on the vegetable post-harvest value chain would be worth considering.
• The ministries responsible for agriculture together with the Ministry of Roads and Infrastructure to produce an action plan for upgrading of feeder roads targeting vegetable production sites and mobilize resources to implement the action plan.
• Facilitation of market linkages with agribusinesses by developing strategic alliances with established marketing outlets such as supermarkets and hotels.
• Develop and implement communication and sensitization strategy and tools on appropriate timing and methods of harvesting.
• Develop and implement nutrition education programmes.

Has ECOWAP contributed to improve Nutrition?

Has ten-year implementation of the regional agriculture policy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAP) contributed to improve Nutrition?

Achieving nutrition outcomes through agriculture and food systems in West Africa
Publisher: FAO
Year of publication: 2016
Pages: 28 p.
Download:
Abstract:
In 2005, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) elaborated its first regional agricultural policy (ECOWAP), in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), to boost West Africa agricultural sector, improve livelihoods and reduce food insecurity and malnutrition. After 10 years of implementation, it became necessary to assess the progress made and the impacts of the Policy. Considering also the new developments at global and regional level in term of commitment to fighting hunger and malnutrition, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); the Rome Declaration and Framework of Actions of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2); the African Union (AU) 2014 Malabo Declaration with its implementation strategy and roadmap; ECOWAS Hunger Free Initiative and other laudable initiatives such as the CAADP Nutrition Initiative.

This assessment represents an opportunity to reinforce nutrition priorities which may not have been fully captured and addressed in the first version of the ECOWAP. The analysis reviews the contribution of ECOWAP to the prevention and reduction of malnutrition with relevant contributing factors. It also proposes key nutrition interventions to mainstream into the new ECOWAP

2nd generation of National Agricultural Investment Plans

30 May - 2 June 2016. Abidjan. ECOWAS, in partnership with the African Union and NEPAD 2nd generation of National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIP) and Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP) drafting process.
Agency organized a regional workshop for launching the

The Abidjan workshop is a fundamental stage in launching the 2nd generation NAIPs and RAIP drafting process as part of the Zero Hunger by 2025 objective. Given the various processes currently underway (SDGs, Malabo, COP 21, AGIR, etc.), this ECOWAS-led process is intended as a framework that facilitates the integration of all these converging initiatives, both at national and regional level, so as to simplify its governance and thereby improve its efficiency.

This regional workshop brought together representatives from the fifteen Member States of ECOWAS (5 representatives per country).

Africa Fertilizer Conference

24-26 February 2016. Marrakech, Morocco. This annual event attracted 400 delegates afrom 55 countries with over 20 African countries.

Extract of the programme:

• Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Importance of Trade Corridors ; Rob Groot, Director, North and West Africa, IFDC
• Sub-Saharan Africa Market Outlook ; Patrick Heffer, Senior Director, Agriculture Service, International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)
• Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism ; Chiji Ojukwu, Director Agriculture, African
  
  Development Bank
• Fertilizer Policy and Regulatory Update for West Africa ; Alain Sy Traoré, Director, Agriculture & Rural Development, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission
• Recent Advances in Soil Diagnostics and Large Scale Soil Mapping in Africa ; Dr. Markus Walsh, Chief Scientist, Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS)
• Developing SMEs through the East and Southern Africa Fertilizer Trade Platform (ESAF) ; Jason Scarpone, President & CEO, African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP)
• Developing the Fertilizer Supply Chain and Enabling the Business of Agriculture ; Arnau Gallard-Agusti, Private Sector Development Specialist, World Bank

Panel Discussion - Fertilizer Requirements and Challenges in Africa and Opportunities for Fertilizer Suppliers

• Which products are being used where?
• Factors influencing buying decisions
• Challenges or restrictions farmers are facing
• Development and education for farmers
• The uptake of agricultural innovations

1. Daniel Gad, Owner, Omega Farms 
2. John Mutunga, CEO, Kenya National Farmers Federation (KENAFF) 
3. John Wendt, Senior Soil Fertility Expert, IFDC East and Southern Africa Division
4. Asseta Diallo, PhD, Program Officer, Agribusiness Fertilizer Supply and Policy-Soil Health Program (SHP), AGRA

Related:

Nectar Group and Yargus Manufacturing discuss the developments and trends in fertilizers within Africa from a blending and bagging perspective. If you had to sum up in one word how you see the next few years in the African fertilizer market, what would that be?

Join the Argus FMB Africa Fertilizer conference in Marrakech to find out more about the major developments in Africa in the fertilizer markets - argusmedia.com/fertilizer-africa

Fertilizer trends and growth within Africa from a blending and bagging perspective from Argus Media on Vimeo.

Revamping the groundnut value chain of West Africa through aflatoxin mitigation

Dr. Amare Ayalew, Program Manager PACA Secretariat

1 - 2 September 2015. Dakar, Senegal. PACA organized a workshop on “Revamping the groundnut value chain of West Africa through aflatoxin mitigation”. 

Since the 1960s, groundnut production and trade have been declining in many West African countries due to various factors among which the most critical is aflatoxin contamination. It is believed that many countries in the region would unleash their groundnut sector’s potential if they could effectively tackle the aflatoxin menace.

The objectives of the workshop were:

• Share perspectives on the state of the aflatoxin challenge in groundnut value chains in West Africa and opportunities for intervention
• Discuss the current policy landscape of West African States in relation to aflatoxin control, food safety as well as trade and identify actions to address gaps
• Discuss current technological practices for aflatoxin prevention and control and explore new options
• Review and validate the ECOWAS Aflatoxin Control Action Plan as a step towards facilitating adoption in the region 



Right: Dyborn Chibonga of NASFAM Malawi

• Identify new, and strengthen existing partnership opportunities among national, regional and international stakeholders in aflatoxin management and agree on strategies for mobilizing required investments to support priority activities.

The workshop was jointly organized by PACA Secretariat,Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Pan African Agribusiness and Agro Industry Consortium, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), the Government of Senegal and other partners.

A workshop summary and communique will be shared soon. The following workshop materials are available:

• Program of the workshop "Revamping the groundnut value chain of West Africa through aflatoxin mitigation" (English and French)
• Concept Note for the workshop "Revamping the groundnut value chain of West Africa through aflatoxin mitigation" (English; French)
• Scoping Study to Assess the Policy Environment and Capacity for Aflatoxin Control in the ECOWAS Member States (English; French)
• The previous Regional Workshop on the Aflatoxin Challenge in West African States was in Accra 18-20 November 2013. See: Communique and Meeting Materials

Workshop Session 2: Scene-setting Presentations:

• The groundnut industry: past, present and future; by Richard Awuah, Nkwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
• The aflatoxin challenge to the groundnut sector in West Africa and intervention opportunities; by Lamine Senghor, La Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, Senegal
• The economic impact of aflatoxins in West Africa: the case of Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal; by Joseph Ndenn, Iris Consulting, The Gambia; Papa Diedhou, Cabinet Bioscope, Senegal; Olusegun Atanda, McPherson University, Nigeria

Workshop Session 5: 

• Presentation of the ECOWAS Aflatoxin Control Action Plan by Ernest Aubee, ECOWAS

Workshop Session 6: Towards Priority Actions; Input Presentations:

• Technology and best practice solutions for scaling (gaps and opportunities for action); by Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, IITA, Samuel Njoroge, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Peter Cotty, US Department of Agriculture
• Policy frameworks and regulations for aflatoxin control in West Africa (gaps and opportunities for action); by Kerstin Hell, Independent Expert
• Who should finance aflatoxin control and why; by Alinani Simukonda, Entry Point Africa

PAEPARD video interviews:
Interview with Dr. Janet Edeme, Head Rural Economy Divison, African Union Commission, Dept. of Rural Economy and Agriculture. Dr. Edeme answers following questions:

1. How serious in the aflatoxin contamination? 
2. What do you expect from donors? 
3. Why is PACA important for multi stakeholder coordination? 
4. Don't we need greater awareness of the consumer? 

Interview with Papa Ousseynou SANE, C.E.O Snambel Production et Distribution: Les défits de l'exportation d'arachides non-contaminée Papa Ousseynou SANE answers following questions:

1. Pourquoi devez-vous assurer une non-contamination par l'aflatoxin comme exportateur d'arachide?
2. Quel est le business model des Fonds d' Investissement?
3. Quelle est votre experience avec les Fonds d'Investissement?
4. Quel support recevez-vous des chercheurs Senegalais?
5. Quelle est l'importance d'un Partenariat Publique Prive (PPP) pour combattre l'aflatoxin?

Related:
28-29th of September 2015. Lilongwe, Malawi. Southern Africa Peanut Value Chain Meeting in Malawi. Dr. Rick Brandenburg from North Carolina State University, PMIL Lead Scientist for the Southern Africa Peanut Value Chain Intervention, is hosting a project meeting.

Over 50 project partners including researchers, students, and private sector actors from the target countries, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, plus collaborators from the United States and the United Kingdom will attend the meeting. Initial findings and updates from the ongoing projects that span the value chain will be presented to improve multidisciplinary and regional cooperation and impact during the completion of the project.

Visit the website for more information about the Southern Africa Peanut Value Chain Intervention project.

Agricultural Growth in West Africa: Market and Policy Drivers

2 July 2015. Rome. FAO. The report, "Agricultural Growth in West Africa: Market and Policy Drivers" (AGWA), comes at a time of great dynamism in the patterns of food demand in Africa.

The Agricultural Growth in West Africa (AGWA) study has been a joint undertaking of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The report stresses that while increasing agricultural yields is essential, more attention needs to be placed on the downstream segment of the agrifood system: assembly, storage, processing, wholesaling and retail.

• For example, domestic food processing companies often prefer to import raw materials such as fruit juice concentrate, wheat and vegetable oil rather than sourcing them domestically or developing substitutes based on local raw materials because local supply chains are too weak and fragmented to provide them reliably.
• Appropriate policies will vary by country and market segment, but broad efforts to upgrade small and medium enterprises in food processing should be a policy priority, along with strengthening the linkages between market-oriented family farms and their organizations with agribusiness of all sizes to enhance access to markets, inputs and support services. Special attention should be placed in supporting women entrepreneurs, who play a key role in the agrifood system from farming through retail, and to youth.
• As the post-harvest segments of the agrifood system grow ever-more important, addressing the varied demands on the system will require going beyond the traditional mandates of Ministries of Agriculture to focus on interconnections among issues as diverse as research, transport investments, trade policies, and nutrition education.
• The report contains in-depth analysis highlighting these interconnections. For example, transport prices for farm produce in West Africa are much higher than in other developing regions, hampering intraregional trade and harming producers and consumers alike.
• Addressing this situation requires a combination of measures ranging from investments in road infrastructure through improved road governance to reforming trucking regulations to instill greater competition.

Based on a detailed analysis of the drivers and trends shaping the development of West Africa's agrifood system and the system's response so far, the study identifies key implications for policies and agricultural investments.

These findings will help inform the deliberations on and new orientations of "ECOWAP-10", ECOWAS' forthcoming update to the current West African agriculture policy, ECOWAP/CAADP.

Related:
6 July 2015. EU support to the region of West Africa reaches €1.1 billion. 

European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, co-signed new regional funding for cooperation with representatives of regional organisations from West Africa, covering the time until 2020. The so-called Regional Indicative Programme under the 11thEuropean Development Fund amounts to a total of €1.15 billion.

The West Africa Regional Indicative Programme was co-signed by President Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President Cheikhe Hadjibou Soumaré of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

The Programme focuses on three areas of cooperation:

• Peace, security and regional Stability, including support to ECOWAS in its regional peace and security mandate and funding for peace and security initiatives, including migration.
• Regional economic integration and trade, to strengthen trade, the private sector and regional integration and support infrastructure
• Sustainable Development of natural resources and biodiversity, which covers support to resilience, food security and nutrition as well as environmental protection, biodiversity and climate change.

16 Countries benefit from the EU-West Africa Regional Indicative programme: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project

11 February 2015. Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania – are set to benefit from a $3.3 millionCompetitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project.

grant provided by Bill and Melinda Gates (BMGF) and the German Development Cooperation (BMZ), under their

The initiative focuses on intervention areas to achieve the following objectives:

• Improved productivity and quality of paddy rice based on sustainable and competitive rice production systems;
• Increased sourcing capacity through structured producer-processor-linkages as well as improved storage capacity and processing efficiency;
• Improved access to and adapted financial services for all value chain actors;
• Shaping and strengthening the enabling environment at national and regional level including policy framework and market linkages between producers, processors and traders.

The implementing institutions of the grant are led by GIZ, Technoserve, the John A. Kufuor (JAK) and Kili Trust (KT).

Speaking on the establishment of the Nigeria/ECOWAS Rice Sector Policy and Regulation Advocacy Platform in Abuja, CARI’s project coordinator, Mr. Stefan Kachelriess-Matthess, said: “The projects are implemented at two levels of support, we support up to 40 percent of implementation cost and our Nigerian partners in the private sector have to provide 60 per cent of the implementation cost.”

ECOWAS Commissioner of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Lapodini Marc Atouga, represented by a Director at the Commission, also spoke at the event, saying that rice consumption in the last two years in the sub-region had increased from 7 to 7.7 million tons.

“I will like to commend GIZ/CARI for this timely initiative. The need to have a permanent and functional platform to promote rice development cannot be overemphasized. With the current interventions on rice in the West Africa region we must all endeavor to build sustainable rice value chains with access to finance, technology and knowledge to move the region from a rice deficit to a rice surplus one,” he said.

The project, which will end in 2017 is targeting about 120,000 small scale rice producers, while secondary beneficiaries are the rural service providers and rice millers. The initiative is geared towards improving their sourcing capacity of quality supply.

Grow Africa is a partnership platform that exists to help catalyse sustainable investment and growth in African agriculture. Grow Africa was founded by the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Agency and the World Economic Forum.

The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report

REN21 in cooperation with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE)has just released a new report: The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report.

The report provides a regional perspective on the renewable energy and energy efficiency market and industry development in West Africa. It enables policymakers, industry, investors and civil society to make informed decisions with regards to the diffusion of renewable energy. The 92-page report covers recent developments, current status, and key trends; by design, it does not provide analysis or forecast.

The report is available in English, French and Portuguese.