In a bid to strengthen intra-regional trade in the western region of the continent, the Economic Community of West African States has trained not fewer than 23 stakeholders in data collection and handling.
In a press release by the commission in Abuja on Sunday, it stated that stakeholders and partners specialized in agricultural trade and markets in West Africa and Chad now have a better understanding of the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade and Market.
The participants are from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Chad and Togo, and partner Organizations from West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-forestry-pastoral and Fisheries Products.
According to the release, the participants “have the onerous task of training other players in the field in their countries to facilitate the collection and handling.”
As part of the implementation of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program, “the integration of regional food markets and trade” is a major thrust aimed at facilitating trade of agricultural goods and inputs within and across national borders in West Africa.
To achieve this, ECOWAS has developed an analytical tool known as the Agricultural Trade and Market.
This tool aims to better document intra-regional trade of agri-food products, identify gaps in agri-food trade policies and strengthen the implementation of regional policies by countries.
Meanwhile, the Director of Trade of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Kolawole Sofola said that “It is crucial that we recognize the importance of data in policy formulation and decision-making.
“Accurate and timely data can help governments design appropriate agricultural policies, anticipate food crises, support small-scale farmers, especially women and young people, and promote regional and international trade”.
The release further stated that the Abuja meeting is an important phase in the deployment of the SCORECARD in the countries, with the knowledge acquired being put into practice. National and regional players have agreed on a timetable to formalize the formation of country teams, to move on to data collection and handling, and to produce country scores before the start of the last quarter of 2024.
