The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has emphasised the critical role of food reserve in tackling the growing food security challenges facing West Africa and the Sahel.

Kyari stated this at the third meeting of the management committee of the Economic Community of West African States Regional Food Security Reserve, held in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Kyari, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Marcus Ogunbiyi, acknowledged the long-term commitment of ECOWAS and its partners, saying, “I extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to ECOWAS Heads of State, who, in their wisdom, considered, adopted, and implemented the Regional Food Reserve Initiative in February 2013.

“This meeting is taking place at a particularly worrying moment for our region.”

The minister, who doubles as the chairman of the committee, pointed out that the region’s food security situation had worsened due to conflicts, economic instability, and the severe impacts of climate change.

Kyari noted the alarming statistics from the December 2024 Cadre Harmonise report, which stated, “Nearly 34.7 million people are in immediate need of food and nutritional assistance.”

He stressed the need for stronger strategies and increased sovereign financing to address food production challenges, manage strategic food storage, and mitigate market volatility.

“The food security situation has worsened in recent years due to conflicts, economic instability, and the devastating impact of climate change.

“These major challenges remind us of the urgent need to strengthen our strategies and response instruments to effectively deal with the food and nutrition crisis affecting our region.

“They also alert us on the growing need for sovereign financing of our agriculture in general and our response mechanisms to food crisis in particular.

“This, therefore, calls for a deliberate concerted effort to address food production, strategic food storage, market and price volatility, as well as re-strategising of the regional body, especially in the administration and management of the regional food security reserve.”

Kyari highlighted the efforts made by the Regional Food Security Reserve since its inception in 2013, which include capacity building, early warning systems, and emergency food assistance.

Since its inception, it has made considerable progress, amassing a stockpile of over 74,000 tons of food stored in various locations across the region, ready for deployment in times of need.

However, he called for improvements in the reserve’s operational efficiency, governance, and monitoring systems to enhance its effectiveness in responding to the region’s food and nutrition crises.

“It is pertinent to note that, since inception, the regional food security reserves have made tremendous efforts towards enhancing food security within the region through robust advocacy, capacity building, education, deepening of early warning signals and emergency action plans, and practically intervening with food assistance across the region within the scope of the meagre resources available as the need arises,.

“However, to increase its effectiveness, it is important to ensure that the instrument at its disposal and its governance bodies meet the challenges we face and the ambitions we have for this region.

“This requires rigorous operation of the decision-making bodies of the regional food security, as well as proper monitoring of the reserve’s operations and interventions,” he added.

As the meeting progressed, Kyari encouraged the members of the management committee and other stakeholders to actively engage in discussions, focusing on the operational plans and emergency response strategies for the food reserve.

He expressed confidence that the meeting would lead to decisions that would strengthen the region’s food security system and address the unique challenges faced by West Africa and the Sahel.

Kyari concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to supporting regional food security efforts and invited all participants to contribute their expertise to help shape a more sustainable future for the region.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of ECOWAS, Massandjé Toure-Litse, warned that “if appropriate measures are not taken, this figure could reach 47 million from 34.7million by the lean season from June to August 2025.

“Furthermore, the nutritional crisis persists in several areas of our region, with global acute malnutrition rates ranging between 10 and 14 percent.”

Toure-Litse, who was represented by the acting Executive Director, Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food, Mohamed Zongo, highlighted the complex factors contributing to the crisis, including geopolitical shifts, ongoing conflicts, economic instability, climate change, and chronic food insecurity.

She emphasised the importance of strengthening regional response mechanisms while building long-term resilience.

“It is imperative that our region strengthens its immediate response mechanisms while consolidating the foundations of sustainable resilience,” she stated.

The commissioner noted that although the Committee has not met regularly in recent years, the Bureau formed at the December 2019 meeting has held three sessions since March 2023.

The current meeting aims to assess the Reserve’s operations over the past year and plan for 2025, ensuring continued support for those most affected by food, nutritional, and pastoral crises in the region.

“As you know, for almost 10 years, our actions have been part of the regional storage strategy. We have learned many lessons by comparing the theory of the regional storage strategy with the practice of its implementation on the ground.

“We are also facing new challenges related to the changing socio-political context in our region and at the global level. This is why we must adjust this strategy and the operating rules of the Regional Reserve in the aim of strengthening the coordination and effectiveness of our collective action.

“Our discussions and decisions will thus ensure transparency, efficiency, and fairness in the management of the Reserve, while adapting it to present and future challenges,” she explained.

She concluded by acknowledging the continued support of national and regional institutions, as well as key technical and financial partners like the French Development Agency, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation.