ECOWAS develops post-Malabo agenda to strengthen regional food security

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is developing a post-Malabo agenda to strengthen regional food security through a 3-day consultation underway in Abuja, Nigeria.

Member states of ECOWAS are gathered in the Nigerian capital from June 12-14 "to consult and adopt the year post Malabu Agenda and review the ECOWAS Agriculture Policy (ECOWAP) for West Africa to ensure consistency, relevance, and complementarity while avoiding duplication of efforts," according to a notice from ECOWAS.

The consultations come as the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, adopted by African Heads of State, is set to expire in 2025.

Commonly known as the Malabo Declaration, it established goals for achieving zero hunger, halving poverty, boosting intra-African trade in farm goods and services, and enhancing livelihood resilience across the continent by 2025.

Now, ECOWAS is working to develop a comprehensive post-Malabo agenda to guide agricultural development in West Africa through 2035.

The 3-day consultations, which conclude on June 14, aim to develop a unified regional strategy to strengthen food security after the expiration of the Malabo Declaration's goals.

This coordinated approach through ECOWAS seeks to drive accelerated agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods across West Africa.