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The Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) is an independent, international platform. Its Secretariat is hosted at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Its mission is to promote regional policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people in the Sahel and West Africa. Its objectives are to:
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About the Club
Annual Report 2018
Annual Report 2017
Key values
- Dialogue: Through high-level political platforms and advocacy, SWAC promotes debate, mutual understanding and co-ordination on critical issues and transformations from a regional perspective. In particular, it is one of the cornerstones of the regional governance of food and nutrition security.
- Objectivity: SWAC carries out independent and evidence-based analysis and produces original data. It conducts regional and spatial analyses that explore the structural developments which are driving West Africa.
- Boldness: Because of its informal nature, SWAC is not subject to short-term policies and political agendas. As a result, it is able to promote innovative methods of analysis and approaches that are not yet fully taken in account in policy making.
- Openness: SWAC ensures that all relevant stakeholders - political leaders, civil society representatives, local and global elected representatives and representatives from other regions of the world – are represented around the same table. Its analyses draw on the expertise of a large and varied network of researchers and partnerships.
Governance
Built on equal governance between West African regional organisations and their partners, the Club is today a unique platform for dialogue within the international development landscape.
The Strategy and Policy Group (SPG) brings together Club Members once a year to define the Club’s work priorities and approve the programme of work and budget, as well as activity and financial reports. Members also ensure the Club’s smooth functioning through their financial contributions (minimum amount agreed upon by consensus) and designate the Club President. The position is currently held by Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The OECD-based SWAC Secretariat is in charge of implementing the SWAC work programme. It carries out analytical work, organises network and other meetings, and facilitates contact between stakeholders.
Origin
"SWAC is the oldest initiative of solidarity and partnership between the OECD and Africa."
Anne De Lattre, founder and Director of the "Club du Sahel" in 1976
The “Club du Sahel” was founded by Sahelian countries and OECD member countries in Dakar in 1976 to raise international support and awareness of the drought crises in the Sahel. For the first 25 years, the Club’s key mission was to provide support to the Permanent Inter-State Committee of Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and to mobilise support from the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries, which led to a significant increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Sahel region. It also facilitated the creation of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) and the Network of Farmers’ Organisations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa (ROPPA). Following a large-scale consultation process facilitated by CILSS and SWAC, the Food Aid Charter was adopted in 1990, which outlined many of the principles that were later included in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. West Africa is currently one of the most prepared regions for preventing and managing food crises.
In response to growing regional interdependence, the Club’s geographic focus was extended in 2001 to encompass all West African countries. The Club was consequently renamed the “Sahel and West Africa Club” (SWAC). While deepening its partnership with CILSS, it has also developed strong relationships with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
SWAC has contributed to strategic thinking and facilitated the development of various common regional strategies and policies, in particular in the fields of agriculture, cross-border co-operation, conflict prevention, climate change, livestock and migration. By promoting regional action, SWAC work has helped highlight that contemporary global challenges are all part of a puzzle of interdependent regional challenges.
In 2010, Club Members launched a deep reform process, which led to the approval of a new Mandate with a new governance structure and a redefined relationship with the OECD. As a result, ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS joined the Club as Members in January 2011.
At a glance
| 1973 | Extreme drought in the Sahel; creation of the “Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel” (CILSS) |
| 1976 | Creation of the “Club du Sahel” at the initiative of CILSS and some OECD member countries aimed at mobilising the intern. community in support of the Sahel |
| 1984 | Another devastating drought; creation of the “Food Crisis Prevention Network” (RPCA) at the initiative of CILSS and the Club |
| 1990 | Adoption of the “Food Aid Charter” by Sahelian countries and DAC member countries |
| 1994 | Release of the West Africa Long-Term Perspective Study (WALTPS), “Preparing for the Future: a Vision of West Africa in the Year 2020” |
| 1997 | Adoption of the Banjul Memorandum by the Sahelian Heads of State and Government for more effective aid |
| 2000 | Creation of the Network of Farmers’ Organisations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa (ROPPA) |
| 2001 | Expansion of the Club’s geographic focus to all of West Africa (member countries of ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS) |
| 2005 | Support for the elaboration of the ECOWAS Common Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) |
| 2006 | Launch of the ECOWAS Cross-border Initiatives Programme (CIP), conceived on the basis of SWAC work |
| 2007 | Support for the ECOWAS Commission in drawing up its “Strategic Vision for 2020” |
| 2008 | Support for the set-up of the ECOWAS Early-Warning and Response Network for Conflict Prevention (ECOWARN) |
| 2008 | Support for the elaboration of the ECOWAS “Common Approach on Migration” |
| 2008/09 | Support for the ECOWAP “Regional Agricultural Investment Programme” (RAIP). |
| 2009 | Support in defining strategic guidelines for the development of the livestock sector within ECOWAS and UEMOA. |
| 2011 | Inception of the new Club; ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS joined the Club as full Members. |
| 2011 | Adoption of the “Charter for Food Crisis Prevention and Management”, which covers 17 West African countries |
| 2011 | G20 Africa Outreach Session on “Agricultural and Food Price Volatility: African Views and Perspectives” |
| 2012 | Launch of the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR) - Sahel and West Africa |
| 2014 | Atlas on the Sahara-Sahel: Geography, Economics and Security |
| 2017 | Cross-border Co-operation and Policy Networks in West Africa |
| 2019 | Women and Trade Networks in West Africa |
SWAC and the OECD
Our relationship with the OECD is defined in a Memorandum of Understanding. The SWAC Secretariat is fully integrated into the OECD. As an active member of the OECD Development Cluster (www.oecd.org/development) and other Africa-related initiatives (www.oecd.org/africa), the Secretariat facilitates exchanges between West Africa’s regional actors and OECD member countries.
Why the OECD?
The Club du Sahel was founded in 1976 at the initiative of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), and several Sahelian, West African and OECD member countries to mobilise international support in response to the devastating droughts in the Sahel. It is the oldest initiative of solidarity and partnership between the OECD and Africa.
Today, the SWAC Secretariat’s position within the OECD is crucial in helping the region promote its interests at the global level and strengthen its voice in global policy debates. Capitalising on the OECD’s analytical sources, the SWAC Secretariat’s position also contributes to the independence needed to produce relevant studies to foster policy dialogue and promote better policies.
“Regional integration in West Africa does not need an additional institution in the region, but rather one that can advocate for it internationally and help make West Africa’s voice better heard in global debates.” Yaya Sow, former ECOWAS Ambassador to the EU and the ACP group