The ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Mr Sekou Sangare, has urged West African countries to prioritise the purchase and consumption of locally produced foods to empower local farmers to become economically viable.

He expressed concern over what he described as the excessive importation of foreign foods onto the West African market, a situation he said undermined the capacity of local farmers to mobilise the needed revenue to expand their operations.

“It is important for us to prioritise the purchase and consumption of locally produced foods as it is the surest way we can boost our gains and empower our farmers economically,” he said.

Occasion

Mr Sangare was addressing journalists at a joint press conference organised by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the ECOWAS Commission in Accra last Tuesday.

The press briefing heralded an international conference on the West African Food Security Storage System, which is being held virtually from April 28 to May 10, 2021.

The objective of the conference is to rally African governments and development partners to forge strong partnerships towards the effective implementation of the West African Food Security Storage System — a project which was rolled out in 2015 to ensure food security in the region.

Value addition

Mr Sangare said the ECOWAS Commission would use the platform to engage policy makers and stakeholders on the need to add value to the various food crops produced in the region to meet demand and create jobs.

He revealed that the commission had secured an amount of €56 million from the European Union to support the implementation of the West African Food Security Storage System.

He said although countries in the sub-region had in their personal capacities rolled out programmes to ensure food security, there was the need for a concerted effort at the regional level to ensure total food security.

Source: Graphic Online