Regional stakeholders in the implementation of the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) projects and programmes meet this week in Lomé, Togo, to take stock of the 2023 activities. Discussions will be conducted from 22 to 26 April 2024 under the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Commission, through the annual meetings of the regional projects and programmes steering committees (COPILS).

This year, the COPILS are being held in a thematic committee format, with thematic introduc- tions on the achievements and challenges of all the projects and programmes contributing to each thematic area. The nine (09) thematic areas of the Regional Policy include (i) livestock and pastoralism, (ii) fisheries and aquaculture, (iii) agricultural productivity and competitiveness, (iv) agroecology and climate change, (v) environment, forests and biodiversity conservation, (vi) pesticide management, plant pest control, (vii) resilience, food and nutrition security, (viii) youth employability in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector and (ix) institutional and organisa- tional capacity building. The thematic introductions will serve as a basis for the discussions.

This new approach will help deepen the reflection on the achievements and challenges as well as synergies between the interventions of the various partners, thus, leading to recommenda- tions towards improving the effectiveness of field actions. The four (04) regional institutions (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS and CORAF) are actively working to promote greater institutional syn- ergies and collaborative work.

For each thematic area, the discussions should provide a ground for exchanging views on the context, major trends in relation to the results of ECOWAP, major actions and current initiatives: main results achieved, lessons learned/good practices, synergies to be developed, challenges, issues at stake and perspectives.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Kpadenou, Director of Vegetable sub-Sectors, repre- senting Togo's Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development and Ms Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture. For Mrs Touré, the new format of the COPILS makes it possible to focus on synergies, coordination, and strategies to ensure greater impact on the beneficiaries of projects and programmes. Pooling efforts and resources will also enable the region to maintain the current momentum and open up new ave- nues for tackling food, nutrition and pastoral crises.

Participants include regional organisations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, CORAF), technical cooper- ation partners, regional professional organisations, technical and financial partners who are members of the ECOWAP Donors' Group and experts from projects teams.