The food economy accounts for one-third of West Africa's GDP and employs two-thirds of the population, in agriculture but also, increasingly, in mid- and downstream segments such as processing, transport, wholesale and retail. Intra-regional food trade is a powerful driver of economic transformation, linking increasingly specialised commercial production areas with consumption centres in booming urban centres. In doing so, it increases the availability of calorie- and nutrient-dense foods across the region, builds resilience to national and global trade shocks, and reduces food and nutrition insecurity.
ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme: Strengthening intra-regional food trade in West Africa
Intra-regional food trade is a crucial pillar of the West African economy and is essential to food and nutrition security. Yet, its transformative potential is often overlooked due to outdated narratives and persistent data gaps. The ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme aims to strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS Commission to promote intra-regional agricultural trade in the region.
Why intra-regional food trade matters in West Africa
About the EAT Programme
The ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme aims to strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS Commission to promote intra-regional agricultural trade in West Africa.
It consists of three components:
- Regional trade policy harmonisation with the ECOWAS Commission and member states
- Cross-border trade facilitation at selected border posts
- Empowerment of agri-food traders.
The EAT programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ in co-operation with ECOWAS.
OECD/SWAC and the EAT Programme
OECD/SWAC is one of the main implementing partners of EAT. It contributes through policy research and engagement in two work streams.
The first aims to reassess our understanding of food trade in the region: the existing data and initiatives to measure it, its actual size and composition, its impact on food and nutrition security, agricultural development and the implications for the design of coherent food, agricultural and trade policies.
The second is based on private sector surveys conducted in 8 countries in the region to assess business perceptions of constraints and opportunities for regional food trade. The surveys will be conducted in collaboration with the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-Forestry Pastoral and Fisheries Products (WACTAF).
Our outputs
OECD/SWAC will deliver three products as part of EAT:
- A report on intra-regional food trade.
- A report on private sector perceptions of constraints and opportunities for intra-regional food trade.
- A policy paper on data initiatives to measure intra-regional food trade in the region.
The OECD/SWAC is engaging key stakeholders (ECOWAS, national governments, private sector associations...) on these outputs through various channels, including workshops in the region, policy forums, policy briefs and interactive factsheets.
Key findings from the report
Intra-regional food trade is six times higher than official statistics
Intra-regional food trade in West Africa has long been underestimated. Official statistics do not take into account the massive flows of food that cross informal border crossings or are not recorded by customs, fuelling a misperception of trade as small-scale, short-distance and subsistence-based.
The value of intra-regional food trade is estimated at 10 billion dollars per year.
This is six times higher than official data. This value is equivalent to total imports of rice, wheat and palm oil from outside the region, and is six times higher than total food and agricultural aid to West Africa.
Intra-regional food trade in West Africa, 2014-22
The region exports up to two-thirds of its food products internally
Excluding exports of cocoa and cashew nuts, estimates indicate that nearly 38% of West Africa's food trade is destined for the regional market. This is well above the 15% often cited in policy debates (an estimate based on official data and including cocoa and cashew nuts).
This share is comparable to that observed in large regional trading blocks such as the European Union.
Furthermore, intra-regional food trade in West Africa is both dense and long-distance. West African countries show strong regional integration in food trade, trading with a median of 12 partners out of a total of 14 possible partners.
Major food exporters such as Senegal, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire account for 58%, 48% and 39% of their regional trade with non-neighbouring countries, respectively.
Intra-regional food trade network in West Africa
Intra-regional food trade is a cornerstone of food and nutrition security in West Africa
Up to 68,000 billion calories are traded in the region every year. The calories traded annually in the region are enough to cover the annual energy needs of around 80 million people — nearly a quarter of the regional population.
In terms of protein, 2.6 billion kilograms are traded each year, corresponding to the needs of nearly 200 million people. This is explained by the significant share of livestock and fish in intraregional food trade.
Beyond this considerable volume, intraregional trade plays a vital role in the seasonal and local availability of food, dietary diversity and affordability, particularly for rapidly growing urban populations.
Regional flows of kilocalories, 2014-2022 average
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