This webinar is jointly organised by the Sahel and West Africa Club (OECD/SWAC), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and AGRA. Bringing together perspectives from trade, nutrition, public policy and the private sector, it will :
- Explore how trade and markets influence diets in West Africa, including both their contribution to food diversity and affordability and their potential to expand access to less healthy foods.
- Identify policy and market conditions that can help align intra-African food trade and nutrition objectives.
- Foster dialogue between trade, nutrition, public-sector and private-sector actors on practical entry points to leverage markets and trade for healthier food systems.
Background
Diet quality in West Africa remains constrained by insufficient diversity, limited affordability of healthy diets and underconsumption of nutritious foods. Food environments are also changing. Consumption of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods is still lower than in many other regions, but recent evidence from the Global Diet Quality Project shows it is rising in several countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. These trends point to a dual challenge: improving access to diverse and nutritious foods while preventing a faster shift towards less healthy food environments.
Trade and markets are central to this challenge, but their role remains insufficiently understood. Imports are often associated with adverse effects on diets, particularly through the increased availability of ultra-processed and unhealthy foods. Yet trade and markets can also support better nutrition outcomes by improving the availability, affordability and seasonal access to diverse foods. Recent evidence from OECD/SWAC shows that intra-regional food trade in West Africa is around six times larger than official statistics suggest and provides an estimated 25% of regional calorie needs. It also connects growing urban demand to more diverse production basins, supporting food diversity and helping to mitigate seasonality.
This webinar will examine how food trade and markets shape diets in West Africa, recognising both their potential to improve access to diverse and nutritious foods and the risks they may pose for healthier food environments.
