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2nd Summary Mission 2016 and 9th Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee of the WAPP: All beneficiary countries and CORAF / WECARD rated "satisfactory" by the World Bank

Nigeria hosted the second summary meeting of the support missions and the 9th meeting of the Regional Steering Committee (RSC) in Abuja from November 14 to 18 and November 21 to 22, 2016 respectively. An opportunity to review progress and prospects. Key partners from international research centers (CGIAR), including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), were also invited to the meetings.

The meetings held at the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demonstrate the regional economic community's commitment to supporting the WAPP as its flagship program.

"The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has declared that its support for the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) has enabled the achievement of economic growth, wealth creation, food security and poverty reduction for the benefit of member states," said Tchambakou Ayassor, Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, for ECOWAS.

"WAAPP today represents the unique tool that catalyzes regional integration through the exchange of technologies and innovations, and the mobility of researchers and players between countries. Together, we are building a robust model that identifies priority areas for sustainable investment and attracts the financing needed to accelerate the sub-region's agricultural transformation for economic growth," declared Tchambakou Ayassor.

This meeting was held in the specific context of the end of the first phases of WAAPP 1B and 1C, on December 31, 2016. Consequently, discussions focused on the main changes brought about by the program's intervention and the prospects on which to capitalize in future phases.

For the first time, CORAF/WECARD and the 13 beneficiary countries have obtained a "Satisfactory" rating from the World Bank for the enormous progress made in implementing the regional project.

To date, nearly 200 proven, high-performance technologies have been generated, lifting more than 8 million direct beneficiaries and around 35 million farming families out of poverty. The WAPP also promotes better access for women to agricultural technologies and knowledge, with 43% of women producers in West Africa having benefited from the project.

These technologies are used by some 3 million West African farmers on a surface area of over 4 million hectares.

The program has brought about positive changes in the agricultural productivity of small-scale farming communities through the wide dissemination of these agricultural technologies and innovations across the 13 project countries and beyond. To date, some 80 technologies have been exchanged between countries.

In terms of nutrition and food security, both Guinea and Senegal were praised for their enormous efforts. For example, in Guinea, parboiled rice produced under the WAAPP is used in the World Food Program's (WFP) "school meals" program; in Senegal, fortified meals have helped to cure malnourished children.

CORAF/WECARD and WAPP countries were urged to create the conditions for more inclusive economic growth by supporting the employability of young people through entrepreneurship and the development of business models that take into account the entire value chain. Small-scale mechanization with a value chain approach was also cited as an opportunity for countries to explore. Countries were invited to further support this area by complying with the 2014 Malabo Declaration, while drawing inspiration from the FIRCA model for mobilizing funding for research.