By Faridat Salifu
ECOWAS is intensifying efforts to strengthen food security and sustainable development in West Africa through coordinated regional projects in agriculture, trade, and environmental management.
The commission unveiled the initiatives on Wednesday during the opening of its program on economic integration through trade, environment, and agriculture in Abuja.
The projects aim to modernise agricultural production, improve value chains, promote agribusiness, and ensure inclusive economic growth across all member states.
ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Touray said the interventions also focus on enhancing intra-regional trade by harmonising policies, removing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and boosting market access under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He highlighted efforts to strengthen climate resilience through sustainable land use, renewable energy adoption, and soil health initiatives, while addressing food insecurity affecting 12 percent of the West African population.
Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the three sectors trade, agriculture, and environment are interdependent, with each driving the success of the others.
Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal warned that environmental challenges, including the generation of over 2 million tonnes of plastic waste annually in the region, threaten agricultural productivity, food security, and economic livelihoods.
Touray added that these interventions serve as building blocks for ECOWAS Vision 2050 and align with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, aiming to create a self-reliant, prosperous, and environmentally resilient West Africa.
