The Economic Community of the West African States Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP, Decision A/DEC. 11/01/05) was adopted in January 2005 in Accra, Republic of Ghana, by the Heads of West African States, as part of the sectoral policies to be implemented by the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993.
In line with the continental agenda, Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), ECOWAP aims to contribute, in a sustainable manner, to meeting the food needs of the people, enhance economic and social development in the sub region and reduce poverty in the member states.
Furthermore, it aims to boost West Africa agricultural sector, improve livelihoods and ensure food and nutrition security. To support the strategic directions of the agricultural policy, the ECOWAS Commission launched several initiatives, which include the Regional Offensive for the Promotion of Local Milk Value Chains in West Africa.
PREAMBLE
The West African market for manufactured dairy products is dominated by non-African imports, whereas by simply doubling the productivity of local dairy cows, the region could increase the volume of its production from some 5 billion liters at present to more than 10 billion liters by 2030. The region's imports have increased over the last fifteen years from 1.2 to 2.5 billion liters of milk eq/year, amounting to more than 500 billion FCFA annually. These imports are largely favored by very taxes on certain commodities such as milk powder, difficulties in collecting local fresh milk and an industrial system strengthened by the import facilities for milk powder. The situation is all the more difficult to handle because the region has a significant potential for milk production.
In order to reduce this dependence, ECOWAS has retained milk as one of the five strategic products to promote for food security and sovereignty in the region, in the framework of ECOWAP. Since 2018, ECOWAS has launched an inclusive and participatory process to define a Regional Offensive for the Promotion of Local Milk Value Chains in West Africa. This major initiative, adopted in 2020, will make it possible to exploit the region's productive potential, reduce imports, and even position itself as a net exporter on regional and international markets.
CONTRIBUTION OF THE MILK OFFENSIVE TO ECOWAP
The Regional Offensive for the Promotion of Local Milk Value Chains in West Africa responds to Specific Objective No. 2 of the Regional Agriculture Investment Plan and Food Security and Nutrition (RAIP-FNS): "Promote contractual, inclusive and competitive agricultural and food values chain oriented towards regional and international demand, with a view to the regional market integration".
This Offensive intends to promote "A West Africa that emerges amongst the dairy basins of the African continent and gradually increases its contribution to regional trade in dairy products of Community origin". It aims to double the volume of local fresh milk production by 2030, bringing it to 10 billion liters per year.