Regional launch of the fourth continental biennial review report on agricultural growth and transformation and the preliminary consultation on ECOWAP/POST Malabo agenda
By Gabriel / 5 months agoThe Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the national and regional
stakeholders of the agriculture sector, the African Union, and representatives
of the sector’s six stakeholder groups convened to officially launch the fourth
Biennial Review on agricultural growth and transformation and to start the
conversation on the next ten years for the ECOWAS Agriculture Policy (ECOWAP)
and Post Malabo Agenda. The event, which incorporated online and offline
participation with a total of 98 participants, was held on the 16th and 17th of
May 2024. It featured distinguished facilitators, experts, and ECOWAS officials
in a detailed agenda to promote in-depth analysis, discussion, and action
planning.
The Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of ECOWAS,
Alain SY TRAORE, during his opening remarks, highlighted the importance of the
Biennial Review process, setting the tone for the discussions with a subsequent
presentation by Mrs. Fatmata Lucia SEIWOH, ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring &
Evaluation Programme Officer, Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development
of the Fourth Biennial Review Report, indicating that ECOWAS was rated for the
second time as the best-performing region with five countries progressing well.
Regional BR Expert Professor Raphael BABATUNDE presented
an in-depth analysis of the Biennial Review Report from the first to the fourth
edition, the performance of ECOWAS countries in the four BR rounds based on the
overall scores, and the assessment of the BR Process. At the same time, Dr.
Mbaye YADE of AKADEMIYA2063 mentioned potential post-BR activities, drawing
comparisons and insights to guide future strategies. During the meeting, Prof.
Aminou Arouna, one of the regional experts, moderated an open discussion, which
allowed participants to share their perspectives and provide feedback on the
presented reports. The ceremony climaxed with the recognition of countries progressing
well and the presentation of the two awards won by ECOWAS for BR 3 (2021) and
BR 4(2023).
AU representative Mme. Panduleni ELAGO provided an overview of
the Post Malabo consultations, conveners and co-conveners of the technical
working groups, UPCOMING RECs-led regional consultations, and the support
needed for the Post Malabo CAADP process. At the same time, Mrs. SEIWOH
highlighted the perspectives for ECOWAP after 2025.
Dr. Olawale OLAYIDE, representative of the Post Malabo
coordinating team, presented the objectives, agenda, and structure for West
Africa’s physical meeting slated for June 12-14, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Several discussions were held on how to make ECOWAS and Member
States perform better in the fifth BR process come 2025. The team elaborated on
the need for policy dialogue, addressing data challenges, and strengthening the
capacity of country agricultural data management committees. The Director
recognized the efforts of technical and financial partners, especially USAID,
European Union, FAO, and AGRA, for their confidence in the Directorate’s
M&E team from 2015 to date in this process.