The food economy accounts for one-third of West Africa's GDP and employs two-thirds of the population, in agriculture but also, increasingly, in mid- and downstream segments such as processing, transport, wholesale and retail. Intra-regional food trade is a powerful driver of economic transformation, linking increasingly specialised commercial production areas with consumption centres in booming urban centres. In doing so, it increases the availability of calorie- and nutrient-dense foods across the region, builds resilience to national and global trade shocks, and reduces food and nutrition insecurity.
ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme: Strengthening intra-regional food trade in West Africa
The food economy accounts for one-third of West Africa's GDP and employs two-thirds of the population, in agriculture but also, increasingly, in mid- and downstream segments such as processing, transport, wholesale and retail.
Why intra-regional food trade matters in West Africa
What our findings show
Intra-regional food trade in West Africa is largely misunderstood. Because it mostly escapes customs, it is much larger than officially reported. While available data puts it at around USD 3 billion a year, our estimates suggest it could be up to 10 times higher.
These invisible trade flows are also based on more valuable products than the formal trade. While the latter is dominated by relatively cheap processed foods, fats and oils, the unrecorded trade is more nutritious, including a large share of live animals, fruits and vegetables.
It is also a vector of de facto regional integration: ECOWAS countries trade with a median of 12 partners, and two-thirds of trade relations are between non-border countries. Contrary to popular belief, ECOWAS countries trade a lot of food within the region: more than one-third of ECOWAS countries export more to the region than to the rest of the world.
About the EAT Programme
The ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme aims to strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS Commission to promote intra-regional agricultural trade in West Africa.
It consists of three components:
- Regional trade policy harmonisation with the ECOWAS Commission and member states
- Cross-border trade facilitation at selected border posts
- Empowerment of agri-food traders.
The EAT programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ in co-operation with ECOWAS.
OECD/SWAC and the EAT Programme
OECD/SWAC is one of the main implementing partners of EAT. It contributes through policy research and engagement in two work streams.
The first aims to reassess our understanding of food trade in the region: the existing data and initiatives to measure it, its actual size and composition, its impact on food and nutrition security, agricultural development and the implications for the design of coherent food, agricultural and trade policies.
The second is based on private sector surveys conducted in 8 countries in the region to assess business perceptions of constraints and opportunities for regional food trade. The surveys will be conducted in collaboration with the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-Forestry Pastoral and Fisheries Products (WACTAF).
Our outputs
OECD/SWAC three products as part of EAT:
- A report on intra-regional food trade.
- A report on private sector perceptions of constraints and opportunities for intra-regional food trade.
- A policy paper on data initiatives to measure intra-regional food trade in the region.
The OECD/SWAC is engaging key stakeholders (ECOWAS, national governments, private sector associations...) on these outputs through various channels, including workshops in the region, policy forums, policy briefs and interactive factsheets.
Partners
