ECOWAS holds conference on food security (Saturday, February 2, 2013, page 41)

Years after the coming into force of the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement of goods and services, road harassment and export restrictions have been identified as among the top five barriers to regional trade in West Africa.

Other inhibitions identified at the ‘Food across Borders: Improving Regional Trade for Food Security in West Africa’ conference in Accra, were certificate of origin, non-recognition of veterinary, sanitary and phytosanitory certificates and value added tax.

Organised by the Economic Community of West African States with technical and financial support from the US government, through its USAID Agribusiness and Trade Promotion project, the conference deliberated on ways on enhancing regional trade in locally produced food commodities in the subregion.

It brought together stakeholders—ministers, government officials, regional organisations, business associations, regional trade companies, farmer associations, financial institutions and development partners—to analyse the importance of regional trade to food security in West Africa as well as current obstacles to trade.

The conference was also to help spur consensus between public and private sectors on the way forward and produce an agenda for increasing regional trade and food security to benefit millions of West Africans.

In spite of being well-resourced to guarantee it’s over 300 million citizens food security, West Africa continues to struggle with that as trade impediments hinder growth.

 According to the USAID, food security continues to elude West Africa, particularly in its Sahelian countries. The region’s trade in staple commodities, while significant, is an underestimated.

But Addressing the media to wrap up the three-day (January 29-31, 2013) conference, Dr Lapodini Marc Atouga, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Water and the Environment, said the sub-regional body would channel a lot more energy into monitoring to clear the obstacles affecting trade in the sub region.

He, however, said a lot more also depended on the individual states to clear the needed environment to improve the movement of goods and services across the sub region.

“Apart from Nigeria, we have no choice but to work towards this because our markets are small. We have a vested interest in creating this regional market,” he added.

As a departure from the ‘talk shop’ from the past, the Commissioner said a taskforce would be established to follow up on every single issue raised and ensure the support of regional governments to remove the many constraints to free movement of the region's staple commodities.

Dr Carlene Dei, Acting Mission Director of the USAID, noted that the prospects for the sub-regional trade were one that would go a long way towards not only improving trade, but also curtailing food deficits.

Mr Tom Gambrah, the Founder of Premium Foods, Ghana, said there were no justifiable excuse to explain the endemic poverty in the sub-region when it was rich in land, water and technology needed to pull the citizenry out of the grasp of poverty.

He, therefore, rallied all stakeholders to ensure that they played their roles to achieve the objectives of the workshop.

Writer's email: seth.bokpe@graphic.com.gh