The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has warned that approximately 47 million people in the region could face a food crisis between June and August 2025 unless urgent measures are taken to address the current food security challenges.
ECOWAS disclosed that currently, 34.7 million people require immediate food and nutrition assistance in the region.
Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of ECOWAS, Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litse made the disclosure at the opening of the third meeting of the Management Committee of the Regional Food Security Reserve (RFSR) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Toure-Litse, who was represented by the Acting Executive Director, Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food, ECOWAS, Mr. Mohammed Zongo, said it is imperative that the region strengthens its immediate response mechanisms while consolidating the foundations of sustainable resilience.
She noted that the food and nutrition security situation in West Africa and the Sahel has deteriorated considerably in recent years.
The commissioner while explaining that the nutritional crisis persists in several areas of the region, with global acute malnutrition rates ranging between 10 and 14%, said that: “Analyses carried out in December 2024, based on the Harmonized Framework, revealed that nearly 34.7 million people require immediate food and nutrition assistance. If appropriate measures are not taken, this figure could reach 47 million by the lean season from June to August 2025.
“Furthermore, the nutritional crisis persists in several areas of our region, with global acute malnutrition rates ranging between 10 and 14%.
“Faced with this worrying situation, aggravated by multiple challenges: geopolitical reconfiguration of the region, persistent conflicts, economic crises, climate change and chronic food insecurity, it is imperative that our region strengthens its immediate response mechanisms while consolidating the foundations of sustainable resilience.
“Food security stocks appear to be key social protection tools, used at different scales -local, national, regional to respond effectively to food crises.”
Speaking on the meeting, Toure-Litse said it “will allow us to take stock of the operations carried out by the Regional Reserve since March 2023 based on the guidelines of the Executive Board, particularly with regard to purchases, interventions, stock replenishment, technical rotations and the identification of new storage spaces. It will also allow us to plan the operations planned for 2025, ensuring that we support Member States in caring for the populations most affected by food, nutritional and pastoral crisis.
“Our discussions and decisions will thus ensure transparency, efficiency and fairness in the management of the Reserve, while adapting it to present and future challenges.
“As you know, for almost 10 years, our actions have been part of the regional storage strategy. We have learned many lessons by comparing the theory of the regional storage strategy with the practice of its implementation on the ground. We are also facing new challenges related to the changing socio-political context in our region and at the global level. This is why we must adjust this strategy and the operating rules of the Regional Reserve in the aim of strengthening the coordination and effectiveness of our collective action.”
In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari said the food challenge is a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen strategies and response instruments to effectively deal with the food and nutrition crisis affecting the region.
Kyari, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Marcus Ogunbiyi insisted that the food reserve has become an essential pillar of the region’s collective strategy for responding to food and nutrition crisis.
He said: “This meeting is taking place at a particularly worrying moment for our region it is a common knowledge globally especially in West Africa and Sahel; that food security situation has worsened in the recent years due to conflicts, economic instability and devastating impact of climate change. A situation compounded by a decline in funding, geopolitical concerns in the region and general lack of access to food. This, according to the recent cadre Harmonize report (December 2024), has made nearly 34 7 million people in dire need of immediate food and nutritional assistance.
“These major challenges remind us of the urgent need to strengthen our strategies and response instruments to effectively deal with food and nutrition crisis affecting our region. “They also alert us on the growing need for sovereign financing of our agriculture in general and our response mechanisms to food crises in particular. This therefore calls forna delibrate concerted effort to address food production, strategic food storage, markets and price volatility as well as re-strategizibf of the regional body especially in the administration and management of the regional food security reserve.”
The Regional Food Security Reserve, established in 2013 by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, supports the region’s member states, Chad, and Mauritania, in managing food crises. Its objectives are to: Complement the efforts of Member States by providing rapid, diversified and adapted food assistance to populations in crisis situations; Express regional solidarity with Member States and populations through transparent mechanisms; Strengthening food sovereignty and regional integration.
Since its creation, the Reserve has made significant progress. It currently has a projected capital of more than 74,000 tons of food, stored in several areas of our region, which can be deployed quickly if needed.
