New system to track food security

An agricultural data and information-monitoring software system -- aimed at helping decision-makers to have and use reliable data and updated analyses to better formulate and monitor strategies for agricultural development -- has been developed for ECOWAS member-countries.

The system has been designed to be a dynamic instrument for monitoring agriculture in West Africa, to help effectively manage food-security issues and promote the trade of food products in the sub-region.

Christened the ‘ECOWAS Agricultural Information System’ (ECOAGRIS), the new system is a tool to reinforce the analytical capacities and interventions of public and private stakeholders in the West African community, based on reliable and up-to date indicators and information.

The tool was designed in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, International Fund for Agricultural Development, European Union, and partner institutions at the inception of the Agricultural Policy of ECOWAS and Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme.

Nii Amoasah Namoale, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, launching the concept in Accra, said: “With the advent of the common agricultural policy of ECOWAS member-states, and considering the limitations of existing information in member-countries, the ECOAGRIS will become a genuine tool for regional integration.”

He expressed satisfaction with the project and commended ECOWAS and its development partners for their immense contribution toward combatting food insecurity in the sub-region.
Mr. Namoale urged ECOWAS to establish a common commodity-exchange trading platform in the sub-region to facilitate the movement of goods and services and ease trading activities among member-countries.

“Indeed, the introduction of this system aims to establish a strategic vision for a federation initiative in the sub region, while at the same time serving as a tracking mechanism for future interventions.”

Mr. Pape Sy, Assistant Programme Coordinator of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), in making a presentation on the ECOAGRIS concept observed that due to the lack of agricultural data and information in West Africa, ECOWAS with partner institutions took advantage of the agricultural policy’s advent in the sub-region and the comprehensive Africa agricultural development programme to put in place the regional agricultural information system.

The ECOWAS regional food-security programme is made up of three components aimed at increasing productivity through access to and availability of improved seeds for rice, maize, groundnut, cassava and other tubers.

The pilot phase of the programme is currently being implemented in seven ECOWAS member-states including Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Senegal.

The project has been through implementation phases such as assessment of information systems in the ECOWAS countries, distribution of Information Technology equipment to national bodies in charge of agricultural information systems, setting up interconnection of local networks in ECOWAS countries, and commissioning of the regional system to all stakeholders.

In 2007, the process of conceptualisation of the project started and followed different steps including definition and validation of the conceptual note at regional and national levels (Ouagadougou-2007), adoption of global objectives (Contonou-2008), adoption of specific objectives and expected results of ECOAGRIS (Dakar-2009), validation of the orientation (Abuja-2009), and compilation of the final terms of reference for role of implementation ECOAGRIS (Cotonou-2008).