The United Nations (UN) has projected that if current food crops farming is sustained in West Africa and Sahel sub-region, the region’s food value would grow to about $480 billion by 2030.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, made this projection at the 13th Multidisciplinary Team Meeting of 15 West African countries and Sahel sub-region in Abuja.
The meeting, which had the theme ‘Joining Efforts to Build Resilient Agrifood Systems in West Africa and Sahel’, was organized to chart the right roadmap towards achieving food and nutrition security for the people in the region.
Schmale projected that the growth would be achieved through the systemic approach undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN in securing the development gains in the fight against hunger, poverty and for progressing on the delivery of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He noted that West Africa’s agri-food system has been facing sundry challenges, including a declining natural resource base, recurrent natural and human-caused disasters, climate change, and rising insecurity.
The humanitarian intervention expert, however, charged governments and leaders in the region to explore the opportunities availed by the development partners to build resilient agri-food systems in the region and align with FAO’s strategic framework to address structural policy constraints.
Schmale explained that these significant trends will provide bright prospects for the West African food system to increase production, value addition, job creation, and food security.
In his remarks at the meeting, the FAO representative in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Fred Kafeero, stressed the need for credible data and analytics for the generation of evidence to guide responsible investments and partnerships for food systems transformation.
He said: “We are glad our partners from ECOWAS are joining us to advance food security and nutrition in West Africa and to contribute to knowledge sharing regarding challenges, threats, and opportunities to move agri-food systems in the region towards sustainability.”
Also, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, in his brief remarks at the forum promised the Federal Government’s readiness to partner the FAO and other development partners in the drive for a resilient agri-food system in the country, West Africa and Sahel region.
