The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened a crucial hybrid meeting on Monday, May 20, 2024, to officially launch the Regional Nutrition Agenda. The event aimed to integrate nutrition into agricultural policies and strategies, marking a significant step forward in addressing nutritional challenges in the region.
In his opening remarks, Alain SY TRAORE, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, highlighted the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and overweight among children under five in West Africa. He noted that these issues affect 30.9% (20.2 million), 6.9% (4.5 million), and 2.7% (1.8 million) of children respectively (FAO et al., 2022). Traore emphasized that "nutrition remains a concern in the region" and pointed out that around 42.5 million people were potentially classified as being in a “crisis or worse phase” during the lean season from June to August 2023.
To address these challenges, Traore explained that the agriculture sector conducted an in-depth analysis to determine how well nutrition is integrated into its policies, strategies, and plans. This initiative aims to create an enabling environment for improving nutrition across ECOWAS Member States, Chad, and Mauritania.
Mr. Issouifou BAOUA from the EU-funded PAGR SANAD project delivered a goodwill message underscoring collaborative efforts and support for this initiative from various projects and organizations. The regional nutrition agenda seeks to enhance the agricultural sector’s contribution to improving West Africa’s nutritional situation by integrating nutrition into agricultural policies based on diagnostic studies conducted in ECOWAS countries, Mauritania, and Chad.
Mrs. Fatmata Lucia SEIWOH, ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring & Evaluation Programme Officer at the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development, outlined the vision and objectives of the agenda. She detailed strategic priorities aimed at eradicating malnutrition by 2030 and striving towards “Zero Hunger.” The comprehensive action plan includes actionable steps and measurable targets designed to improve nutritional outcomes.
The meeting provided a platform for participants to engage with each other and contribute insights toward refining the action plan. It emphasized multi-sectoral collaboration and community involvement as critical factors for achieving the agenda’s goals.
Director Alain Sy TRAORE acknowledged technical and financial partners such as CILSS, European Union, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UEMOA, and ROPPA for their confidence in the Directorate's efforts. He reaffirmed ECOWAS’ dedication to improving nutrition in the region.
Following extensive discussions, Director Traore officially launched the regional agenda and action plan on behalf of President Omar Touray and Commissioner of Economic Affairs and Agriculture Massandje Toure-Litse. These documents will serve as foundational elements for future discussions as sector policies are reviewed approaching 2025.
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