Despite the various efforts made by Governments and development partners, the food and nutrition situation in the Region remains globally alarming especially in the Sahel, and particularly in Burkina Faso and Niger where food and nutrition insecurity affects approximately 3,454,000 and 4,402,400 people respectively. Affected people are classified as being in crisis or worse. The situation is deteriorating year after year due to the numerous crises the region is facing.

On behalf of the former President of the ECOWAS Commission and following requests received from Burkina Faso and Niger, former ECOWAS Commissioner Sékou Sangaré in charge of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources availed on 24th June 2022 4023 tonnes of food grains to the Republic of Niger to support the Government's efforts in controlling the difficult food situation of the most vulnerable populations.

This expression of regional solidarity by the 14 other ECOWAS Member States to the people of Niger is the fifth one. It comes after those of 2021 with 7,598 tonnes of cereals and 205 tonnes of enriched flour and that of 2018 with 6,528 tonnes of cereals in the form of a loan and that of 2020 with 473 tonnes of cereals in the form of a donation from ECOWAS and its partners in response to Covid-19.

In Burkina Faso, Commissioner Sangaré also formalised on 22nd June 2022 the handover of 6 402 tonnes of foodstuffs consisting of rice, maize, sorghum and millet which took place on 17 June with the former President of the Commission, His Excellency Mr Jean Claude Kassi Brou, to support the actions of the Government of Burkina Faso in dealing with this year's difficult food situation. This is the fourth intervention of the Regional Food Security Reserve in Burkina Faso after the one in 2018 with 4303 tonnes of food grains in the form of a loan and the ones in 2020 with a total of 954 tonnes of cereals in the form of a donation from ECOWAS and its partners in response to Covid-19.

The quantities of 4023 and 6402 tonnes of food grains availed respectively to Niger and Burkina Faso will be replenished grain for grain by each of the two governments as soon as possible, thus enabling the ECOWAS Commission to continue to provide food grains whenever possible to any Member State in need.