Strategic Plan

The Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food becomes operational in a context marked by the acceleration of implementing ECOWAP and several initiatives that underpin it. Indeed, after the validation of the NAIPs and RAIP, for which ECOWAS and the States managed to mobilize substantial resources for their implementation, the Commission has set them into operational programs. Among these are (i): public policy instruments (intensification, market regulation and social safety nets for the most vulnerable populations), (ii) rice offensive, Regional Enhanced Village Hydraulics Program (PRHVA/REVHP), control of fruit flies, (iii) new initiatives, especially the one related to "Zero Hunger", a village poultry program). The implementation of all these programs is entrusted to RAAF.

Like any young structures of this scope, RAAF faces a number of institutional and organizational challenges. The first is institutional. The Agency must equip itself with effective planning and management tools in order to build its action and credibility capacities not only with regional actors, but also partners who provide technical and financial assistance.

The second challenge concerns the piloting and coordination of programs and projects implemented by development partners of the region. This coordination is also a challenge because of the differences in the procedures applied by the partners, the nature of the programs (soft and hard), the steps for their implementation and the level of representation of partners at RAAF. This situation implies the deployment of specific coordination and adaptation capacities of RAAF’s organization chart to this rise in power of the institution.