Maps&Facts: Up to 68 trillion kilocalories are traded regionally each year in West Africa

Intra-regional food trade is a vital pillar of food and nutrition security in West Africa. Every year, nearly 68 trillion kilocalories are traded across the region. This is equivalent to the annual energy needs of 80 million people—about one-quarter of the region’s population. This figure becomes even more significant when considering that it masks important seasonal and sub‑national variations in terms of calorie availability.

Calorie trade relies on a dense network of flows: among the 15 countries analysed, 89% of possible trade pairings are reflected in the data. This highlights the vitality of regional markets and their ability to connect producers and consumers across borders.

Beyond calories, the region also trades vast amounts of protein. Around 2.6 billion kilograms of protein circulate annually, enough to cover the estimated needs of nearly 200 million people. This is driven by the high proportion of livestock and fish in intra-regional food trade.

The diversity of products being exchanged is equally outstanding. In Nigeria, for instance, intra-regional trade covers cereals (e.g., maize, rice), vegetables (e.g., cabbage, onions, tomatoes), starchy roots (e.g., yam), legumes and nuts (e.g., cowpeas, groundnuts), processed foods (e.g., bread, biscuit, spaghetti, tomato paste), beverages (e.g., tea, soft drinks), fruit (e.g., oranges, apples, bananas, mangoes), animal proteins (e.g., live bovines, goat, poultry, eggs, smoked fish) and even blocks of ice.

Many of these transactions go unrecorded in official national statistics, yet they are central to everyday diets and livelihoods. Strengthening intra-regional food trade is therefore essential to the region’s food and nutrition security.