Hunger-Free Inititive for West Africa Signed

By CnAgri2012-10-19 20:11:56 Print

Eliminating hunger in West Africa is the main objective of a new project launched by West African countries, Germany and FAO. Co-funded by the German Government and the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States, the three-year project will support ECOWAS and its member countries in working towards a Hunger-free West Africa by building on existing policies and programmes, increasing stakeholder engagement and amplifying the current political commitment in the region.

Germany is providing $2.4 million and ECOWAS has announced its commitment to co-fund the initiative and to ensure adequate participation of all member countries.

Several ECOWAS countries saw a steady reduction in hunger numbers until 2006-2008 but progress has slowed since. The food price crisis in 2008 and a drought-triggered emergency in the Sahel earlier this year, when up to 19 million people were at risk of food insecurity, showed that countries struggle to maintain lower figures of undernourishment and malnutrition in times of stress and external shocks.

The project will work with countries and regional organization to increase commitment and collaboration among key decision-makers of all sectors. This involves awareness raising and advocacy, and the establishment and strengthening of multi-stakeholder partnerships that promote monitoring and accountability.

The hunger-free initiative will support ECOWAS in the implementation of the Regional Partnership Compact for the Implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP). Of particular importance will be the closer integration of nutrition into national and regional agriculture investment policies, improved coordination for food and nutrition security and strategies on combining social protection and agriculture.

The Hunger-free Initiative for West Africa was launched in the framework of the existing Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. It builds on the Hunger Free for Latin America and the Caribbean Initiative, which created the conditions for eradicating hunger permanently in the region by 2025.