On May 2, 2025, the Strategic Orientation Committee of the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) convened in Lomé, Togo. The meeting aimed to evaluate the activity report and financial execution for the year 2024. This gathering marked the twelfth session since RAAF's inception in 2013.
The committee serves as a crucial platform for accountability, experience sharing, and strategic direction. It allows RAAF to present two key reports: the 2024 activity report alongside the 2025 budget, and the financial report for 2024.
"For the 2024 financial year, the main challenges affecting the implementation of projects and programs are the security crisis in the Sahel countries, which affects access to project areas, and the withdrawal of three Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) from ECOWAS," stated Mrs. Massandjé Touré-Litsé, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture. She assured that "the authorities of our regional Community are resolutely working on" finding more adequate solutions.
Despite these challenges, RAAF achieved a physical implementation rate of 72% and a financial implementation rate of 75%, resulting in an overall implementation rate of approximately 74%.
RAAF continues its efforts to enhance coordination and facilitation in implementing projects while fostering collaboration among stakeholders in West Africa's agricultural sector. The guidance from this Steering Committee is expected to bolster these efforts further.
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