Agricultural growth in West Africa: market and policy drivers

Published in July 2015, this study, also available in French,  by examines the opportunities and challenges facing the agrifood system in West Africa, undertaken by the African Development Bank (AfDB), with support from the Government of France, partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The study contributes to a better understanding of the evolving context for growth in West Africa’s agrifood sector by: (1) examining the drivers and trends affecting the demand for and supply of agrifood products, (2) evaluating the performance of the agricultural sector and related policies in the light of those trends and (3) distilling the main implications for future policy priorities.

The report considers that opportunities for West African agricultural growth are unprecedented but these opportunities are combined with new challenges for West Africa’s agrifood systems, rendering policy making more complex. Market opportunities for West African food producers are increasingly dynamic due to population growth, urbanisation, income growth, dietary diversification and higher output prices. The strongest market growth potential exists foranimal products, followed by rice, fish, and fruits and vegetables. Producing and marketing such products are labour-intensive and offer potential for substantial job creation. Food demand is transforming from undifferentiated bulk commodities towards food products with differentiated quality attributes such as nutritional and health characteristics, packaging, and ease of preparation, offering important opportunities for value addition. Much of thisgrowing demand is currently captured by imports.