E-Commerce: ECOWAS Moves To Modernise Food Production, Trade & Investment

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its partners have taken steps to modernise food production, strengthen the value chain and promote trade and investment in agribusiness using the tool of e-commerce.

This was the crux of a three-day stakeholders meeting on “Regional Interventions towards Economic Integration in West Africa”, convened to operationalise the ECOWAS e-commerce strategy, which commenced in Abuja yesterday.

The event was organised by the ECOWAS Commission, through its Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, to harness West Africa’s potential in business, trade, and investment, as well as the provision of services in the region under the ECOWAS Agricultural Programme (ECOWAP).

The event also featured efforts to link trade, environment and agriculture, while enhancing fertiliser quality control and soil health to deepen regional integration and protect the environment by tackling plastic pollution.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, in his opening remarks, said the ECOWAP guides the regional bloc to modernise production, strengthen value chains, and promote agribusiness that is inclusive and competitive.

Represented by the ECOWAS Commission Vice President, Damtien Tchintchibidja, Touray said stakeholders are “ advancing the West African fertiliser and soil health initiatives, which are critical for improving productivity, restoring degraded lands, and ensuring sustainable food systems.”

Touray lamented that, despite significant efforts, the region continues to face a high level of food insecurity. She quoted the 2024 FAO State of Food Security Report, which states that 12% of West Africa’s population is food insecure. The causes, she added, can be attributed to the adverse effects of climate change, poor functioning of regional markets, policy incoherence, restrictive trade policies, and conflicts.

She, however, was assured of ECOWAS’ commitment to advancing regional strategies that promote renewable energy, sustainable land use, and resilience against climate shocks.

Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, in his address, noted that the meeting was to deepen the regional mechanism to boost the “West African market and support our farmers for the benefit of all the people of West Africa.

“Trade, agriculture and environment are bound together with shared reality, and each one shapes the success of the others,” he added.

He lamented that soil degradation, water scarcity, and changing climate conditions have posed significant challenges to food productivity and urged the partners to be more resilient in tackling these challenges.

Minister of Environment Balarabe Abbas Lawal, in his remarks, stated that the meeting represents a pivotal moment in the collective aspiration to promote sustainable economic growth, deepen regional integration, and strengthen environmental governance across West Africa.

Represented by Omotunde Adeola, the minister stated that plastic pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing West Africa, noting that inadequate waste management systems, increasing urbanisation, and the exponential growth in plastic consumption have created significant threats to human health, biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural productivity.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, in her remarks, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to trade liberalisation, infrastructure development and private sector growth.

Represented by Ambassador Innocent Iwejuo, the Minister said there are ongoing reforms aimed at facilitating the ease of doing business, enhancing peace and security and boosting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

“We hope that this broad agenda linking trade facilitation, environmental stability and sustainability will connect agricultural development and digital transformation into a single coherent regional development.

She advised a collective effort to address the challenges related to food security, soil degradation, climate change, plastic solutions, and barriers across the region.