The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in partnership with the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the Senegalese Ministry of Economy, Plan and Cooperation, has launched the annual forum of intergovernmental organisations from West Africa, to examine and address the impact of emerging risks and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.
This was disclosed in a statement published by the international organisations and distributed by APO Group.
The two-day forum (June 21 – June 22, 2022), holds in Senegalese capital city, Dakar is aimed at addressing issues pertaining to sustainable development. To identify and discuss policy directions and actions needed to strengthen the resilience and recovery of West African economies.
According to the statement, “the parties will also set work in progress for policy responses to emerging development challenges in West Africa, including growing levels of food insecurity, the climate challenge, extreme violence, and the breakdown of social cohesion.
“The socioeconomic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ripple effect of the conflict in Ukraine has led to increased costs of food, fuel, and agricultural inputs – particularly fertilizer – in the region according to the joint studies conducted by ECOWAS, UNECA, FAO, and WFP.
In the report released by the bodies, West African countries are highly dependent on food imports – with the region spending $4.5bn in 2019 on cereal imports. Dependence on wheat imports is particularly acute in Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Benin, where just over half of the wheat consumed comes from Russia.
“This situation poses a threat to the region due to the unprecedented rise in food prices witnessed in February-March 2022, with the FAO Food Price Index reaching its highest level on record in March 2022,” the statement added.
