USAID West Africa Regional Mission Director Alex Deprez has observed that regional programmes of the Agency are instrumental in helping to unleash the potential of West African farmers.
Mr. Deprez made the observation during a conference hosted by USAID West Africa which was held from April 23 to April 25, 2014, for participants from across West Africa.
It was held on the theme, “Transforming Agriculture and Food Security through Regional and National Cooperation and Integration.”
A press release from the Public Affairs section of the United States Embassy in Accra copied to the Ghana News Agency said the conference was conducted as an element of President Obama’s Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) which provides over $ 139 million per year in funds agricultural development in West Africa.
“Building on United States President Obama’s visit to the region in 2013 that reinforced the U.S. commitment to expanding economic growth, investment and trade, the conference sought to maximize the impact of U.S. assistance to the agricultural sector which comprises over 60 per cent of the regional population”, the release stated.
Core conference themes included: building synergies that address regional challenges in agriculture, trade and economic growth; advancing the FTF priority of achieving and scaling results; providing an opportunity for ECOWAS and the West Africa Regional Organizations to share progress and discuss regional priorities in the agriculture sector; and increasing awareness and understanding of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program after ten years.
According to the release, ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Marc Atouga, emphasized in his keynote address that: “We must be bold and make sure free movement of agricultural commodities is effective. It’s up to us to learn lessons from others’ failures and successes and implement them in West Africa.”
Dr. Ahmed Hamid, ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, underscored the importance of regional integration and private sector participation.
Several key regional organizations, including the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the West and Central African Council on Agriculture Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), Hub Rural, and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), together with USAID implementing partners, discussed ways to effectively scale up successes in policy, agricultural productivity, reducing barriers to trade and promoting resilience.
Dr. Candace Buzzard, Director of Agriculture for USAID/West Africa, noted made known plans for increased consultation and collaboration and invited participants to celebrate the launch of several new USAID West Africa projects: the West Africa Trade Hub & Partners Network, which will work to increase both regional and export trade in West Africa and Africa Lead II, a project that builds capacity of African institutions.
In his remarks at the end of the event, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Gene A. Cretz, welcomed President Mahama’s stated priority of increasing cross-border trade in West Africa during his ECOWAS Chairmanship, particularly in a region where the movement of goods across borders is key to achieving food security and broad-based economic growth.
Source: GNA
