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The Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is organizing an online and face-to-face workshop on the Regional Agriculture Joint Sector Review (RJSR) for the year 2023 from 19 to 20 June 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria. 

For two days, experts and representatives of ECOWAS Member States, civil society organization’s, farmers' platforms, the private sector, researchers and specialists in the agricultural sector and development partners will discuss the theme of "Economic Performance of Agriculture in ECOWAS Member States". The aim of this exercise is to analyze and exchange views on the commercial performance of the agricultural sector in the best-performing countries, in order to share experiences and improve the region's overall performance.

Addressing the opening of the workshop, Alain Sy Traoré, ECOWAS Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, welcomed the holding of this important meeting and the participation of a large number of stakeholder delegates. "This year's RJSR focuses on the policy and institutional environment, financing agriculture growth, reviewing the performance of the agriculture sector, which includes trends in agricultural production and productivity as well as trends in agricultural trade. The RJSR will assess poverty trends with a focus on average income, poverty and income distribution as well as food security," said Mr Traoré. 

At the Abuja meeting, which is being held with financial support from USAID, RJSR stakeholders will conduct a subsequent internal review of their operating plans and budgets for 2023/2024 and make recommendations on policy and operational issues in the agricultural sector in light of recent trends and contemporary challenges.

One of the objectives of this meeting is also to raise stakeholders' awareness of recent progress in implementing the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the Malabo Declaration on Accelerating Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods. 

The ECOWAS Regional Agriculture Joint Sector Review (RJSR), as a reminder, is an inclusive and evidence-based process that reviews progress in the implementation of jointly agreed sectoral objectives and targets, thereby fostering mutual accountability and a learning culture in countries' sectoral policies. ECOWAS became the first region in Africa to conduct a regional JSR in September 2020, and is currently the second JSR to be overseen by a multi-stakeholder steering committee.