USAID, ECOWAS food security confab ends in Accra

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have concluded a three-day conference to improve food security, free movement and services in Accra.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reports that the objective of the conference was to jump-start the actions needed to unleash the full potential of regional trade to help safeguard the region’s food security in the future.

NaijaAgroNet also notes that the three-day conference attended by officials of civil society groups, governments, technical partners and private institutions in West Africa had the theme: “Food Across Borders: Improving Food Security through Regional Trade in West Africa.”

Mr Salifou Tiemtore, Director of Customs, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said there were many barriers to free movement of goods including lack of understanding of legislation, high tariffs and non-compliance with products.

He said a lot of countries within ECOWAS were refusing to implement the ECOWAS regulations, saying “the lack of regional trade policy within the sub-region is also a challenge”. Read more

Nneka Alamaeze and Sherif Ayilara/LS

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