Dr Kalilou SYLLA has taken up functions as the new Head of the ECOWAS Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture. Appointed on 1 October 2025 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, he replaces Massandje TOURE LITSE, who has been assigned other important responsibilities by her home country. The Ivorian head of department was appointed at a time when the sub-region is facing heavy dependence on food imports, despite its significant agricultural potential, and has declared himself ready to take on the challenges associated with his new role within the ECOWAS organisation.
The appointment of Dr Kalilou SYLLA to this new function within ECOWAS comes at a crucial moment for agriculture, an essential pillar of development. This sector faces persistent challenges: obsolete equipment, insecurity, and volatility in input and product prices. Despite a total GDP of $686 billion in 2020, the sub-region suffers from heavy dependence on agricultural imports and growing food insecurity, affecting 247.4 million people in 2021. His appointment as head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture is therefore seen as a major opportunity to revitalise the sub-region’s agricultural sector.
Every day, ensuring that our policies are planet smart or better address issues that certain partners believe are not being taken into account is the best way to destroy and create vulnerabilities in Africa.
Dr Kalilou SYLLA, Head of the ECOWAS Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture
A specialist in macroeconomic, trade and agricultural policies, Dr Kalilou SYLLA has worked on the development and implementation of regional integration programmes. His expertise includes strategic planning, promoting the free movement of goods and people, and strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural sectors. These skills are invaluable in finding solutions to the economic challenges facing the sub-region, which experienced a slowdown in 2023, marked by high inflation, weak domestic demand and sanctions imposed on certain countries such as Niger.
Every day we hear partners saying, ‘You have an agricultural policy, but it does not take climate change into account.’ So we are revising that policy. But I would like to know which country or region changes its agricultural policy every month or every year.
Dr Kalilou SYLLA, Head of the ECOWAS Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture
The new Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture will focus on bolstering West Africa’s economic and food resilience. Key priorities include accelerating agricultural transformation, promoting food security, boosting regional trade, and enhancing the competitiveness of ECOWAS economies amidst global crises and geopolitical shifts.
What I say about the government applies to us as well. We must be able to ensure that the concerns of our producers are relayed to the highest level, and one of the best ways to do this is through governance. We must work on our political and financial governance and ensure that we are credible.
Dr Kalilou SYLLA, Head of the ECOWAS Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture
ECOWAS, through its core policy of promoting economic cooperation and agricultural development to enhance food security, improve trade, and ensure sustainability, views Dr. Kalilou SALLY’s appointment as a way to foster these goals.
