Some twenty experts representing the Focal Points of the National Committees for the Recognition of Community Origin (NRCVG) from customs administrations, industry ministries and the private sector met in Cotonou/Benin from 16 to 20 October to familiarise themselves with the new ECOWAS procedures for the recognition of Community origin and product certification.

Indeed, with the evolution of origin recognition procedures in the world and the need to ensure that the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme becomes a real vector for regional integration and economic growth in West Africa, ECOWAS has, by Supplementary Act A/SA.7/12/18 of 22 December 2018, revised its protocols on Community origin and procedures applicable to goods originating in ECOWAS. In addition, two regulations on the modalities for implementing the Additional Act were adopted in December 2021 by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

The main aim of these reforms is to update and simplify procedures for recognising Community origin and certification, while respecting Member States' commitments with other international organisations such as the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Through theoretical and practical sessions, learners will now be able to identify a product as originating in accordance with the new ECOWAS rules of origin. In addition, the focal points present in Cotonou will be responsible for training other relevant stakeholders in their respective countries on the ECOWAS preferential tariff treatment.

This first training of trainers session will be followed by other sessions to contribute to a better understanding of the new ECOWAS rules of origin and facilitate their implementation.

At the end of the meeting, a series of recommendations were made to the ECOWAS Commission and Member States. The implementation of these recommendations will undoubtedly contribute to a better appropriation of the texts by the NRCVGs. 

The main stakeholders in the implementation of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FASRP) met from 28 November to 1 December 2023, in hybrid format, for the second summary meeting of the World Bank's supervision missions for 2023.

Six months after the first summary meeting held in Senegal, more than 55 stakeholders and partners involved in the implementation of the FSRP shared the results achieved during 2023 and the main activities planned for 2024.

The regional institutions (CILSS, CORAF and ECOWAS) in charge of operational components 1, 2 and 3 respectively led sessions on activities at regional level and in the countries.

The main results achieved in digital advisory services to prevent food crises, the sustainability of the agricultural production system and the integration of regional trade and markets were shared. Experiences were also shared and proposals for solutions to the main challenges were put forward.

The levels of achievement of the main indicators were presented. After two years of implementation, the PRSF has helped to reduce food insecurity by 16% in the areas covered by phase 1 of the programme. A total of 1,221,760 direct beneficiaries, 22% of them women, have benefited from the PRSF's actions.  The key figures are as follows:

• More than 654,000 players in the food system, 29% of them women, have had access to hydro and agrometeorological advisory services thanks to the programme;
• Nearly 22,000 hectares of land have been put into practice using sustainable landscape management technologies;
• More than 226,000 farmers, 30% of them women, have adopted climate-smart agricultural technologies and services;
• 24 technologies have been made available to farmers by a consortium of national research institutes, the CGIAR and other international institutes;
• Nearly 3,200,000 vulnerable people can potentially be supported for 1 month by the Regional Security Reserve; 55 private sector players and nearly 123,000 women farmers have received goods and services to increase regional trade and the marketing of the programme's priority value chains, respectively.

In four days of exchanges, the summary meeting of the supervision missions was an opportunity to share the results of the implementation of the PRSP in the countries and at regional level. Learning and the creation of synergies between all PRSP stakeholders are the fruits of this regional meeting.

Overall, significant results have been achieved and the World Bank has encouraged all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to achieve the objectives of the PRSP.

Experts and partners involved in food safety issues in West Africa met from 4 to 6 October 2023 in Abidjan to validate the Harmonised Guide to Health Inspection and Risk-Based Decision Making, a reference framework document for making decisions under the inspection programme to encourage compliance or take coercive measures.

The forty or so participants from 14 of the 17 countries in the ECOWAS-CILSS region first examined the content of the draft guide drawn up by the technical working groups and pre-validated by the group of experts, going through each section and the proposed texts, before proceeding to validate it. This final stage marked the end of the process of developing this important document, which began in May 2023 in Cotonou with the training workshop for experts and the setting up of a regional technical working group, which led to the drafting of the guide. In July 2023, a regional meeting to pre-validate the draft guide was held in Dakar, Senegal, to make progress on its preparation.

The development of this guide is part of the establishment of a regional mechanism for the convergence of food safety regulatory measures between the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Sahel, as set out in the ECOWAS harmonised regional regulation C/REG.21/11/10. This is why Alain Sy Traoré, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the ECOWAS Commission, welcomed the existence of this document: "Our sub-region is the only one in Africa to have such a mechanism for coordination, cooperation, synergy of actions and mutual responsibility. You have succeeded in drawing up this guide, but the challenge remains to implement it at regional level in the countries concerned, so as to truly reach all the stakeholders involved in the value chain from production to consumption of food products" at the opening ceremony of this regional meeting.

The food consumed in West Africa is produced, managed and delivered, in most cases, under rather difficult conditions, often without respect for sanitary measures. To guarantee food safety, food inspection is a key element of the food production, processing and distribution system. Harmonisation of food safety inspection protocols is essential, which is why the "Harmonised Guide to Food Safety Inspection and Risk-based Decision Making" adopted by ECOWAS will help to improve food safety and ensure the health of the population.

The participants drew up a roadmap with specific actions including validation of the Guide by the ECOWAS bodies (Council of Ministers) and pre-testing of the Guide in the countries in order to make the necessary adjustments and publish it.

The second support mission for the implementation of the West African Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP/PRSA) for the year 2023, from the World Bank to ECOWAS/ARAA was held from 25 to 27 October 2023 in Lomé at the RAAA Headquarters.

Discussions between the World Bank and ECOWAS focused on the PRSF's achievements in 2023 and planning for 2024. Specific topics discussed included monitoring and evaluation, the ECOWAS agenda on soil health and fertilisers, the ECOWAS Rice Observatory, environmental protection and the visibility of the Programme.

Ms Katie Freeman, PRSP Task Team Leader (TTL) at the World Bank, congratulated the Regional Coordination (ECOWAS/ARAA) on the progress made and encouraged it to continue its efforts to achieve the PRSP's development objective. Mr Alain Sy Traoré, ECOWAS Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, praised the WB's multi-faceted support for all PRSP stakeholders before underlining ECOWAS's commitment to the success of the PRSP, with a view to improving food security in West Africa.

Dr Mariame Maiga, Regional Gender and Social Development Advisor at CORAF, carried out a gender technical support mission for the Regional Coordination of the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) and for the managers of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) from 18 to 22 September, in Lomé, Togo. The support consisted of meetings with members of the FSRP's regional coordination team and awareness-raising among ARAA managers and project coordinators to ensure that gender is better taken into account in project and programme activities.

Together with the regional PRSF coordination team, Dr Maiga reviewed the activities planned and in progress to assess the extent to which gender had been taken into account, and took corrective action if necessary.  Ongoing communication, monitoring and evaluation, and environmental protection activities were also screened.

With the ECOWAS experts in charge of the markets and trade integration component, the working session began by raising awareness of the need to take account of the gender and youth dimensions in the implementation of the component.

The awareness-raising session for ARAA managers and project coordinators involved explaining in simple terms what gender is, which is defined as the socially constructed attributes and opportunities associated with being a man or a woman. It is also how our society defines masculinity and femininity in terms of appropriate behaviour for men and women.

The trainer stressed that gender equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of sex are fundamental human rights, recognised in international declarations and mentioned in most national constitutions.

In view of the interest shown by participants in the gender awareness-raising sessions, Dr Maiga said she was prepared to support not only the regional coordination and the experts of the component on market and trade integration, but also the key activities of the RAAA if CORAF is asked to do so, in order to ensure that gender is better taken into account in all project and programme activities.

Experts from the West African Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) in charge of environmental and social protection, including gender-based violence (GBV), met in Accra, Ghana, from 5 to 8 September 2023 to review the implementation of activities in the countries and at regional level.

In four days of work marked by exchanges experience, experts from Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, Chad, Togo, ECOWAS and CORAF and their counterparts from Niger, CILSS and the Bank (online) took stock of the implementation of recommendations in the various environmental and social safeguard instruments prepared by countries and partners. The representatives of the countries and regional institutions (ECOWAS, CORAF and CILSS) presented the complaints management mechanisms and the committees set up to make them operational.

Through the various presentations, the experts gained a better understanding of the concepts of gender, gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse/sexual harassment (SEA/HS).

This regional meeting was also an opportunity to provide country experts and PRSP implementation partners with information on the appropriate mechanisms for the efficient implementation of the various safeguard instruments that have been developed and validated.

Together, the participants defined environmental and social safeguard indicators before drawing up an action plan to implement these recommendations by country and by institution, and helped national experts to draw up GBV/EAS/HS action for each country.

The regional meeting ended with the drafting of a roadmap for monitoring and supporting countries in order harmonise the inclusion of environmental and social safeguard aspects, including GBV/EAS/HS, in the various activities.

It should be remembered that compliance with environmental and social standards during the implementation of PRSP activities is a legal requirement of partner countries and institutions. Taking into account environmental and social safeguards not only contributes to the achievement of the project's objectives, but also ensures its sustainability and ownership by the implementing partners. It is within this framework that all the countries plus the partner institutions have developed, validated and implemented safeguard instruments in line with the standards set out in the World Bank's new environmental and social framework. Taking into account the recommendations when implementing these instruments remains a prerequisite for any PRSP activity. 

At a time when, internationally, countries are competing with each other in terms of standardisation, we note that in West Africa and the Sahel, little scientific data is provided for the development of standards in the agri-food sector.

To find a lasting solution, the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development (DADR), with the support of its partners, invited more than 50 experts to reflect on and propose an innovative data generation mechanism to contribute to the work of the Codex Alimentarius from 28 to 30 August in Lomé.

The three days of discussions provided an opportunity to build the capacity of experts to fill this data gap, in order to improve monitoring, inspection and data generation to produce reliable results, and to take advantage of the comparative advantages of laboratories in the region for capacity building and forward, medium- and long-term planning.

In addition, the exchanges also contributed to the networking of laboratories at national and regional level and facilitated the continuous flow of information on Codex data requirements and their integration into national food analysis activities and research programmes.

Participants also identified priority Codex work for the region relating to contaminants, food additives, pesticides and veterinary medicines, and food and microbiological hygiene.

Organised by ECOWAS with the support of the Inter-African Bureau for African Resources (AU-IBAR), the FAO, the WHO and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Codex-US office, this meeting was held within the framework of the actions of the regulatory convergence forum on food safety set up in July 2022 and therefore constitutes a satellite platform for reflection and data generation for the work of Codex.

The meeting ended with discussions on the procedural and governance issues involved in setting up the ECOWAS and Sahel Regional Food Safety Laboratory Network.

Environmental and social issues, including aspects of gender-based violence, are given pride of place in the workings of the institutions. The Regional Agency for Agri-Culture and Food (ARAA), whose mandate is to ensure the technical execution of regional programmes and investment plans contributing to the implementation of the Regional Agricultural Policy, has a duty to integrate the application of environmental and social measures into its operations. This is why, as part of the implementation of environmental and social safeguard activities, the Regional Coordination Unit of the West African Food System Resilience Programme (PRSA) organised a capacity-building workshop for RAAA staff on the concepts of environmental and social safeguards, including gender-based violence, from 7 to 8 August 2023 in Lomé.

These two days of training were an opportunity for the forty or so participants to exchange views with the training team made up of : Mr Mohamed Youba Sokona, environmental protection expert at the World Bank; Mr Baidy Tall, social development expert at CORAF; Ms Assétou S. Kaboré, gender-based violence (GBV) expert at AGRHYMET, and Mr Gaoussou Diarra, environmental protection expert at ARAA.

Through explanations supported by concrete examples drawn from the experience of implementing previous projects, participants gained a better understanding of the principles and operation of the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), which serves to protect people and the environment in a range of areas. It focuses on institutional and human capacity building and country ownership of projects. The CES also promotes greater efficiency, flexibility and proportionality, and takes into account the need for consolidation and harmonisation of policies between donors and other entities involved in financing. The ESC is based on 10 standards.

The Complaints Mechanism is a system for receiving, investigating and dealing with complaints arising from the implementation of project activities in a transparent, fair and effective manner. It is an instrument that gives stakeholders the right to denounce abuses, shortcomings, damage, breaches of law or past agreements, and to request compensation or the cessation of the prejudicial act.

ARAA staff were made aware of the measures and codes relating to gender-based violence and the habits to adopt within the organisation and between colleagues.

The workshop ended with the establishment of the ARAA Complaints Management Committee, made up of : BANE Abdoulaye, Legal Adviser and Chairman of the Committee; Gaoussou DIARRA, FSRP Environmental Safeguard Expert, Secretary of the Committee; Carine SOME, Communications Assistant and Committee Communications Officer; Gloria AKPOTO, Administrative Assistant and Armel OGUNIYI, Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, both members of the Committee.

The Committees role is to respond to questions or clarifications relating to complaints, to find solutions to problems and misunderstandings arising from the implementation of activities and to deal effectively and fairly with claims and complaints. 

The West African Food System Resilience Programme (PRSA) intends to raise its profile among stakeholders and disseminate its results for greater impact. To achieve this, and taking into account the diversity and multiplicity of stakeholders and partners, the programme has just validated its communication strategy and plan and knowledge management, from 10 to 12 July in Niamey.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the PRSA, communication is at the heart of its actions and contributes to the achievement of the Project's objectives. For this reason, the development and implementation of a communications strategy and plan are an integral part of the overall strategy for implementing the PRSA.

For 3 days, PRSA communication and monitoring-evaluation experts met to finalise the programme's communication strategy on the basis of the provisional version that had been drawn up with the involvement of all stakeholders and partners. As a reminder, a group of experts made up of communication managers from the institutions implementing the PRSA and from the countries, worked on collecting information on communication needs, categorising stakeholders and partners, analysing communication issues and problems in West Africa in relation to climate change, agro-ecology, regional trade facilitation, etc. Based on the data collected, the draft communication strategy and plan were drawn up.

All sections of the draft documents were examined to improve their content before being validated.

In addition, the draft PRSA graphic charter was examined to provide the programme with a visibility manual. The communication officers were made aware of the need to set up Twitter and Facebook pages and accounts to communicate results and raise the profile of the PRSA. Each communications specialist will draw up a detailed communications plan to facilitate implementation of the communications strategy in the field.

The PRSA is now in its second year of field operations, and the communication and visibility manuals that have just been approved will make a major contribution not only to raising awareness of the programme but also to better disseminating its results. 

With almost 42 million people currently facing hunger and malnutrition, and almost 10 million internally displaced people or refugees in neighbouring countries, the West Africa and Sahel region is facing a serious food and nutrition situation.

With a view to finding an urgent response to the situation, the ECOWAS Commission has invited national food crisis management mechanisms, regional organisations and the international humanitarian community to discuss the state of preparedness of the response to food insecurity and improve complementarity/coordination between the various players.

From 25 to 26 July 2023 in Dakar, the stakeholders and partners measured the response capacities of the countries, the region and the partners on the basis of the commitments; identified the gaps between the needs and the available resources and agreed on the complementary mobilisation strategy.

In a consensual manner, the intervention, coordination and monitoring and mechanisms at national and regional level were reviewed to make them more operational. An update was given on the state of food stocks in the countries and at the level of the Regional Food Security Reserve (RRSA), whose intervention are progressing in the service of countries in crisis.

The results of the study commissioned by ECOWAS on the assessment of national and regional response needs and capacities were also shared.

Given the growing number of people in crisis from year to year, targeting mechanisms have been evaluated and national and regional experiences have been shared.   

This meeting was followed a restricted meeting with countries where food, nutrition and pastoral interventions will take place to revise the methodology for monitoring and evaluating national response plans and RRSA interventions, integrating indicators relating to the social and environmental dimensions, the "do no harm" approach, gender equity and food safety, in close collaboration with experts specialising in these fields. It was held on 27 and 28 July 2023.