On this year's World Food Day, celebrated under the theme “Right to foods for a better life and a better future’, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, is calling all stakeholders of the agrifood chain for action and collaborative work.

Dear fellow citizens of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),

Distinguished Partners and Friends of West Africa,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On 16 October 2024, the International Community celebrates the World Food Day under the aegis of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The commemoration of this key date on the international agenda, which recalls the anniversary of the founding of the FAO in 1945, is more than just a tradition. It is a time to recall the issues at stake and the challenge of ensuring sustainable access to healthy, diversified, and sufficient food for all the world's citizens through functional and efficient food systems.

This year's theme (and I quote) « Right to foods for a better life and a better future » calls on all of us to recognize that food is not and should not be a privilege, but a fundamental and inalienable human right. Food is and remains the first human need. Unfortunately, this right is still not a reality for everyone in the world in general and in West Africa in particular.

Indeed, in our region, access to food remains a daily headache for many of our populations, who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Despite the various efforts by the public authorities and their development partners at both national and regional level, almost 50 million of our fellow citizens (i.e., more than one out of ten citizens) in the countries of the CILSS-ECOWAS-UEMOA region are still experiencing difficult food and nutrition situation, at least as far as the lean season of 2024 is concerned. The nutritional situation of children under the age of 5 remains just as alarming in some parts of our region. This situation has been deteriorating sharply for almost a decade, as evidenced by the data from the evaluation of our regional system for the Prevention and Management of Food Crises in the Sahel and West Africa (PREGEC). It is the most worrying situation in the world, which means that now more than ever, we need to take affirmative actions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

With the determination of Member States, intergovernmental organizations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS), regional technical organizations, professional agricultural organizations, development partners, private sector players and civil society organizations, a number of initiatives are being implemented through various national and regional policies, projects and programs to make significant progress towards improving access to food, food and nutrition security and socio-economic development for all. Thus, since 2005, our region has adopted a Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP), the main objective of which is to ‘sustainably contribute to meeting the food needs of the populations, to economic and social development and to poverty reduction in Member States’. Considering the achievements of two (02) decades of implementing the Policy, we are called upon to expand, consolidate and sustain them with greater commitment. Besides, If we all agree that the right to food is a fundamental right, we must work together to integrate it into our national and regional laws.

Achieving the right to foods means not only ensuring survival, but also preparing a better future for our children and families. Together, with political will, determination, resilience, collective involvement, and regional solidarity, we can achieve this goal by overcoming current and future challenges.

Faced with an ever-growing population, we need to produce more now and, in the future, to realize everyone's right to a better life and a better future.

On behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, I wish to reiterate ECOWAS gratitude to all partners and friends who support the efforts of our region towards food and nutrition security and sovereignty. May this collaboration continue to grow stronger and stronger. Please accept our warmest greetings and best wishes.

Long live the ECOWAS of the Peoples

Long live the right to food for all!

Thank you!