Burkina Faso: International forum on food security ends in Ouaga on Thursday
In Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, an international forum on food security and sovereignty opened on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. This event, which is part of the dynamics of the evaluation of two decennary of implementation of the Union Agricultural Policy (PAU), brings together experts, government officials and representatives of regional and international organizations.
During three days, the delegations, including those of UEMOA, CIRAF, CILS, RESIMAO and the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC), discussed in depth the issues related to production, financialization, public directives and agricultural financial mechanisms. The challenge is to take stock of progress, examine current developments and make recommendations in line with the challenges of WAEMU.
Twenty years after the establishment of the PAU, challenges persist and new obstacles emerge. Even if the PAU’s noble ambition was to «respond in a sustainable way to the food imperatives, while stimulating the economic and social development of the Member States and fighting poverty», the agricultural sector is still facing great challenges, said Commissioner Mamadu Serifo JAQUITE, representing the President of the WAEMU Commission Abdoulaye DIOP, at the opening of the symposium.
And as DAREN Commissioner Kako Nubukpo noted, «despite the political mechanisms in place, the EU is seeing an increase in the number of its citizens seeking food aid» According to official data, between June and August 2022, more than 12.5 million people were facing food insecurity in WAEMU.
Representatives of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and other intergovernmental organizations participated in these debates. According to the WAEMU Committee, the orientations resulting from this symposium will feed its vision for 2040, which is being developed.
