Who are the beneficiaries of RAAF projects?

The beneficiaries of RAAF's projects are first and foremost the ECOWAS Member States. However, within the framework of the partnership with some institutions, the interventions may be extended to non-ECOWAS countries.

Within the framework of some regional initiatives, RAAF, with the support of technical and financial partners, grants subsidies, through calls for proposals, to projects in the field that are carried out and implemented by the public and private sectors, NGOs and farmers' associations and organisations in the region.

How is RAAF funded?

Funding for RAAF is essentially made up of resources allocated by the Administration and Finance Committee of the ECOWAS Commission from the Community levy collected from Member States.

ECOWAS' technical and financial partners also contribute to the funding of the programmes and projects implemented by RAAF.

What areas does RAAF work in?

To implement the Regional Agricultural Policy, RAAF's work is built around 9 major thematic areas:

  • Resilience, food, and nutrition security.
  • Agricultural productivity and competitiveness.
  • Livestock and pastoralism.
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture.
  • Environment, forests and conservation.
  • Pest and pesticide management.
  • Climate change and agroecology.
  • Youth employability.
  • Capacity building.

How does RAAF work?

RAAF is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the implementation of the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP). It does not implement actions directly on the ground, but contracts technical institutions and all players with proven skills in their field of expertise. The approach is essentially based on getting things done.

What is the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food?

The Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) is a specialised Agency of the ECOWAS Commission created on 19 August 2011 by Regulation No. C/REG.1/08/11 of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers as part of the operationalization of the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP).

Officially launched on 27 September 2013, its mandate is to ensure the technical implementation of regional programmes and investment plans contributing to the operationalization of ECOWAP by relying on regional institutions, bodies and actors with proven expertise.

Richard Sibraogo Guissou

Richard Sibraogo Guissou joined RAAF in September 2015 in the capacity of Programme Officer, Strategic Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation. Since 2007, he has been working in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector, particularly in agricultural and food statistics, foresight, policy formulation, planning and monitoring-evaluation.

Francis Dabiré

Francis Dabiré officially joined RAAF in February 2016 and has been serving as Programme Officer, Communications and Advocacy. With more than 25 years’ experience, he is an accomplished leader in the supervision and coordination of communication strategies, plans and activities at national, regional, and international levels.

Ousseini Salifou

Since July 2013, Ousseini in his capacity of Executive Director, has the responsibility of leading RAAF and its team in the implementation of the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) through the various projects and programmes. He was the first ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources from February 2007 to February 2012. As Commissioner, he led the development and part of the implementation of the first generation of the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP) and the National Agricultural Investment Programmes (NAIP).

Nahmsath Yabouri

Nahmsath officially joined RAAF in December 2015 as Programme Officer Statistician Information Technology. He was promoted later to the position of Information Technology Webmaster for the Pool Service of ECOWAS Institutions in Lomé. With more than 20 years’ experience, he is an accomplished IT strategist with proven track records at national and international level. He oversees IT operations and provides cutting edge digital support to streamline business processes of the organisation.

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