Report sees huge opportunities for agricultural growth in W/Africa but…

 The report stated that for West Africa to compete with large global actors, the sub-region’s agriculture needs to capture some of the economies of scale that those countries enjoy in the markets for fertilisers and seeds, agricultural research and technology development. While important progress towards regional integration has been made over the past two decades, […]

 The report stated that for West Africa to compete with large global actors, the sub-region’s agriculture needs to capture some of the economies of scale that those countries enjoy in the markets for fertilisers and seeds, agricultural research and technology development.
While important progress towards regional integration has been made over the past two decades, effective implementation at national level has remained a challenge, as evidenced by roadblocks and trade bans hindering intra-regional trade, along with continued use of disparate national standards for seeds and fertilisers despite regionally agreed-upon common protocols.
 The report titled, ‘Agricultural Growth in West Africa: Market and Policy Drivers (AGWA),’ comes at a time of great dynamism in the patterns of food demand in Africa.
 West Africa’s population, now 300 million, is expected to grow to 490 million by 2030. The sub-region is already the most urbanised part of sub-Saharan Africa, with nearly half the population living in urban centres – and the urban population is projected to continue to grow at a rate of 3.8 percent per year between 2015 and 2030.
 The document stresses that while increasing agricultural yields is essential, more attention needs to be placed on the downstream segment of the agrifood system: assembly, storage, processing, wholesaling and retail.
The report worries that domestic food processing companies often prefer to import raw materials such as fruit juice concentrates, wheat and vegetable oil rather than sourcing them domestically or developing substitutes based on local raw materials because local supply chains are too weak and fragmented to provide them reliably.
 Based on a detailed analysis of the drivers and trends shaping the development of West Africa’s agrifood system and the system’s response so far, the study identifies key implications for policies and agricultural investments.