12% of West African people no get enough food to chop, according to wetin ECOWAS talk. The Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs Damtien Tchintchibidja, yarn this one during the opening ceremony of the validation meeting on plastic management and ECOWAS plans for economic integration through trade, environment and agriculture. She refer to the 2024 FAO State of Food Security Report wey show say hunger dey rise for the sub-region.
She talk say the wahala dey happen because of climate change, bad functioning of regional markets, policies wey no align, trade restrictions and different conflicts for the region. She add say ECOWAS dey work seriously to push regional strategies wey go support renewable energy, better land use and strong resilience against climate shocks.
Tchintchibidja explain say the ECOWAS Commission, through the Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, dey carry out plenty strategic projects to boost industrial development, promote trade, increase agricultural productivity, improve food and nutrition security, and support inclusive economic growth for all member countries. She say the goal na to bring ECOWAS Vision 2050 and African Union Agenda 2063 into reality.
She still talk say agriculture remain the backbone of West African economies, as e dey employ millions of people and help secure food for the region. Under the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy, dem dey work to modernise farming, strengthen value chains and make agribusiness competitive and inclusive. She mention say the West Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health initiatives dey important to improve productivity, restore damaged lands and build sustainable food systems. According to her, investing in soil health and fertiliser access go help build a strong agricultural foundation wey fit feed the population and create jobs for youths and women.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, also talk for the meeting. He say Nigeria dey carry out a full agricultural modernisation plan under the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy. He talk say the policy dey connect technology adoption, market efficiency, farmer support and institutional reform into one path wey go strengthen the country food system. As Nigeria dey prepare for the midterm review of the policy, he say the country dey align am with the Kampala Declaration to make sure the reforms support the regional targets for 2026 to 2035.
He talk say experts from across the region don gather for Abuja this week for two important programmes. One na the regional workshop on fertiliser quality control, soil initiatives and the development of a fertiliser market strategy. The other na the annual technical follow-up meeting on how countries dey implement the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy. He conclude say these discussions dey important to improve input systems, programme delivery and make sure regional agricultural planning remain coordinated, reliable and forward-thinking.
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