West Africa is facing critical levels of food insecurity, with alarming forecasts for 2026. According to the latest data, 53% of the region’s 442 million people will face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026. In response to this severe situation, Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, has sounded the alarm and called for a profound transformation of the region’s agricultural model. For the Ivorian commissioner, this recurring crisis, which has occurred approximately every two years over the past decade, is not only unacceptable but also avoidable. Paradoxically, the region has immense potential, with 236 million hectares of arable land, only 50% of which is currently cultivated. The current food insecurity crisis is exacerbated by regional conflicts, persistent inflation and heavy dependence on food imports.
Between June and August 2026, food insecurity in West Africa is expected to reach alarming levels. Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, describes the situation as unacceptable and calls for a complete overhaul of the region’s agricultural model. Despite the region’s vast potential of 236 million hectares of arable land, only half is currently cultivated by member states. The crisis is driven by excessive dependence on food imports, as well as the devastating impact of conflicts and inflation. The Commissioner advocates massive reinvestment in local food crop production to break this cycle of recurring crises. This new strategic direction aims to achieve food self-sufficiency and sustainably protect the region’s 442 million inhabitants.
“We have an excellent agricultural policy. In fact, we have received awards from the African Union more than three times for the agricultural policy we have implemented. This policy is based on a simple principle: if we want a regional policy, we must first support individual countries. We must first reach a regional consensus on the challenges we face and help each country develop an agricultural policy aligned with the regional agricultural policy. That is what we have been doing over the past 15 years. It has produced excellent results, including the establishment of a regional agency for agriculture and food, the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA), in Lomé, as well as the creation of what we call our regional food reserves. These reserves enable our region to respond collectively when food shortages or crises occur. We are one of the few regions in the world with such a mechanism.”
Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture – Côte d’Ivoire
Despite these response mechanisms, Kalilou Sylla points out that the effectiveness of previous policies has been constrained by a complex ecosystem. The objective is now to move the region towards genuine self-sufficiency, particularly through the Regional Agricultural Policy for the 2026–2035 period, known as ECOWAP 2035.
“It is important to point out that our region experiences a food crisis every two years. This is unacceptable. For the past 10 years, it has been the same situation. Every two years, we have faced a food crisis in West Africa. We can address these issues through more ambitious policies. However, the agricultural policy we implemented in the past, despite its achievements, was constrained by the wider ecosystem. We must ensure that West Africa, particularly ECOWAS, helps establish an agricultural policy for the entire region, bringing together all West African countries and organizations. That must become our guiding principle.”
Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture – Côte d’Ivoire
According to Mamadou Cissokho of the Network of Farmers’ and Agricultural Producers’ Organisations of West Africa, food imports within the ECOWAS region currently amount to $7 billion. With the population expected to reach 800 million by 2050, legislation to protect and preserve the region’s agricultural production areas has become imperative.
“Food sovereignty cannot be achieved by simply preparing strong proposals to ask others to finance them. We believe that food production must be financed through domestic resources. Investments in transport infrastructure and other related areas can be negotiated with our partners. However, producing food and protecting our soils, rivers, waterways and lowland areas must be part of national and regional budgets. For us, this is what would demonstrate that we are pursuing development based on sovereignty. This is what we have been trying to communicate to the authorities for several years. We were involved when the first agricultural policy was being developed, and we have consistently advocated this approach.”
Mamadou Cissokho, Honorary President, Network of Farmers’ and Agricultural Producers’ Organisations of West Africa – Senegal
This new vision is based on massive reinvestment in research into local food crops such as millet, sorghum and cowpeas. The stakes are high: agriculture accounts for 35% of regional GDP and employs 60% of the working population. To reduce dependence on food imports, ECOWAS is also relying on large-scale initiatives, including a $19 billion plan dedicated to the rice sector, aimed at transforming farms into resilient agribusiness operations.
