The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intensified its regional agricultural interventions this year, 2025, with a renewed focus on food security, climate resilience, rice production, agricultural trade and stronger regional food reserves amid growing food and nutrition challenges across West Africa.
The regional bloc’s interventions came against the backdrop of a worsening food-security situation in West Africa and the Sahel. ECOWAS estimated that about 34.7 million people required immediate food and nutrition assistance in December 2024, with the number projected to rise to 47 million during the June-August 2025 lean season without urgent intervention.
The developments placed agriculture firmly at the centre of ECOWAS’ regional integration and development agenda, particularly through the implementation of the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP).
ECOWAP, adopted in 2005, seeks to promote agricultural development, improve food and nutrition security, reduce poverty and strengthen regional economic integration through coordinated investment and policies among member states.
One of the major areas of ECOWAS’ intervention in 2025 was the strengthening of the Regional Food Security Reserve (RFSR).
The ECOWAS Management Committee met in Abuja in March 2025 to assess the performance of the regional reserve and establish priorities for improving its capacity to respond to food crises.
The regional food reserve had a projected stock of more than 74,000 tonnes of food distributed across different locations in West Africa. Since its establishment, it had supported 22 interventions benefiting about 4.3 million vulnerable people.
ECOWAS also commenced a review of its regional food-storage strategy, reflecting the changing nature of food emergencies in the region.
According to the regional body, conflicts, climate-related disasters, economic instability, inflation, pandemics and disruptions in food markets have placed additional pressure on vulnerable populations.
The review was therefore designed to strengthen the reserve’s ability to anticipate and respond rapidly to food crises while improving coordination among regional and national institutions.
Rice production emerged as another major priority in ECOWAS’ agricultural programme during the year.
In March this year, ECOWAS and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a US$12 million grant agreement to support the Rice Resilient Value Chains Development Project, popularly known as REWARD.
The wider REWARD programme, estimated at approximately US$650 million, seeks to increase investment in rice value chains across West Africa and support the region’s ambition of achieving greater rice self-sufficiency.
The intervention is significant because West Africa continues to face a substantial gap between rice production and consumption.
Available regional data showed that West Africa produced approximately 14 million tonnes of milled rice in 2021, against demand of more than 22 million tonnes. The resulting deficit contributed to an estimated US$3.5 billion annual rice import bill.
Through REWARD, ECOWAS and its development partners are targeting improvements in access to agricultural inputs, policy reforms, digital monitoring, processing and other areas of the rice value chain.
The African Development Fund subsequently approved an additional US$9.44 million grant in July 2025 to support climate-resilient rice value chains in 13 West African countries.
The programme is expected to improve access to quality seeds, promote climate-smart agricultural practices and strengthen the capacity of farmers and processors to cope with climate-related challenges.
Climate change remained one of the most serious challenges facing agriculture in West Africa during 2025.
Erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, rising temperatures and land degradation have continued to threaten agricultural production, livestock and rural livelihoods.
ECOWAS therefore continued to work with development partners through the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) to strengthen the resilience of the region’s food systems.
The World Bank estimated that more than 34.4 million people were facing severe food crises in West Africa in 2025, while agriculture and livestock accounted for approximately 40 per cent of the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The FSRP focuses on strengthening food-crisis prevention systems, promoting sustainable management of agricultural and natural resources and improving regional agricultural trade.
The programme has also recorded progress in climate-smart agriculture, with more than 880,000 producers in participating countries adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies and more than 100,000 hectares placed under sustainable landscape management.
In October 2025, ECOWAS also brought together regional stakeholders to develop and validate a portfolio of climate-resilient agricultural projects capable of attracting international climate financing.
The initiative was designed to improve access to climate funds and connect farmers, governments and regional institutions with financing opportunities for agricultural adaptation and resilience.
Beyond increasing production, ECOWAS also focused on improving the movement and quality of agricultural products across the region.
In May 2025, the Commission organised a workshop in Lomé, Togo, to revise agricultural standards and improve the quality of products traded within the region.
The exercise, supported by the Food System Resilience Programme, sought to strengthen consumer protection, improve product quality and facilitate agricultural trade among member states.
The harmonisation of agricultural standards is considered critical to the success of regional value chains because agricultural products frequently cross national borders before reaching consumers.
Consistent sanitary, phytosanitary and quality requirements can reduce unnecessary trade barriers, increase competitiveness and provide farmers with access to wider regional markets.
ECOWAS also placed greater emphasis on research, evidence and digital systems in agricultural policy during 2025.
The ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) continued to coordinate regional agricultural programmes, support investment and strengthen cooperation among governments, farmers, research institutions, development partners and private-sector actors.
In November 2025, ECOWAS convened a regional policy dialogue in Abuja to examine evidence generated through the PRISMA initiative and explore ways of using research findings to shape agricultural policies in West Africa and the Sahel.
The meeting brought together government officials, researchers, private-sector representatives and development partners.
The increasing emphasis on data reflects the need for policymakers to have reliable information on agricultural production, food prices, market conditions, climate risks and household vulnerability.
Despite the progress recorded in 2025, ECOWAS continues to face significant challenges in financing agricultural transformation.
The regional body has acknowledged that implementation of ECOWAP has been affected by excessive dependence on external development assistance, inadequate domestic financing, weak coordination and insufficient participation by the private sector and young people.
The financing gap is particularly important because sustainable agricultural transformation requires long-term investment in irrigation, mechanisation, rural roads, storage, processing facilities, research, extension services and market infrastructure.
ECOWAS has consequently continued to advocate stronger domestic financing mechanisms and increased private-sector participation in agriculture.
The agricultural interventions recorded by ECOWAS in 2025 demonstrate an increasingly coordinated regional response to West Africa’s food-security challenges.
From strengthening the Regional Food Security Reserve and investing in rice production to promoting climate-smart agriculture, harmonising standards and improving agricultural data, ECOWAS is seeking to build a more resilient and integrated regional food system.
However, conflict, climate change, inadequate infrastructure, high input costs, limited access to credit and dependence on food imports continue to pose significant challenges.
For ECOWAS, the task ahead is to translate regional policies and investments into tangible improvements in farm productivity, farmers’ incomes, food availability and affordability.
Sustained political commitment, stronger domestic financing, private-sector investment and effective implementation of ECOWAP will remain critical to transforming West Africa’s agricultural potential into greater food sovereignty, economic growth, employment and regional integration.
