Bridging Sectors: Enhancing Resilience of Food and Nutrition Security through Social Protection in West Africa

Praia, Cabo Verde - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for West Africa (SFW) is hosting its 16th annual Multidisciplinary Team Meeting (MDT16) from 19 to 22 November 2024, at the Praia Mar Hotel in Praia, Cabo Verde.

This annual meeting will be held in a hybrid format, focusing on the theme: “Bridging Sectors: Enhancing the Resilience of Food and Nutrition Security through Social Protection in West Africa”.

Social protection measures play crucial roles in protecting against poverty, preventing risks, and improving livelihoods and food security, especially during crises. When well-designed, they can improve diet quality, contribute to gender equality and education, and develop productive and social infrastructure to galvanize the rural economy.

Despite commitments, social protection coverage in West Africa remains low, with only about 16% of the population covered by at least one benefit. Average government expenditure on social protection stands at less than 1% of GDP.

“Social protection must be fully integrated into broader rural development policies, strategies, and programs. The adoption of the ECOWAS Social Protection Framework provides the necessary impetus for countries to develop and improve their social protection systems and intersectoral coordination. Governments must invest more in social protection systems to effectively respond to shocks and crises and enhance resilience”, said Dr. Gouantoueu Robert Guei, FAO Subregional Coordinator for West Africa and the Sahel.

Under the presidency of Mr. Gilberto Silva, Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cape Verde, this 16th edition will bring together technical experts and senior officials from ministries of agriculture and rural development, livestock and fisheries, and ministries responsible for social protection from member states in the subregion, as well as representatives from economic communities and specialized subregional institutions (ECOWAS, CILSS, UEMOA, CORAF, AES, etc.), UN agencies, civil society organizations, beneficiary groups, and other key actors from the public and private sectors, providing a platform for reflection.

“We aim to create a robust consultation platform that brings together the FAO Subregional Office for West Africa, country offices, governments, regional economic communities, specialized institutions, civil society, and the private sector. This will be an opportunity for stakeholders to jointly review achievements and challenges while designing approaches to leverage successes and address constraints. We will also discuss the situation and challenges of social protection in agrifood systems in West Africa and the Sahel”, announced Ms. Bintia Stephen Tchicaya, Senior Policy Officer at the FAO Subregional Office for West Africa.

This 16th annual Multidisciplinary Team Meeting of the FAO Subregional Office for West Africa will gather around the Subregional Coordinator and FAO Representative in Senegal, as well as the General Coordinator of the event, the Senior Policy Officer, the FAO Representatives from the other 14 countries in the subregion, program and administration assistants in the 15 FAO representations, and various units of the subregional office in Dakar.

According to Ms. Bintia Stephen Tchicaya, “This meeting will facilitate exchanges between member states and various stakeholders on emerging issues and trends in social protection systems in West Africa. The goal is to address vulnerabilities and risks in rural areas, as well as to promote the inclusive transformation of rural and agrifood systems. It will also be an opportunity for participants to identify priority activities to ensure social protection in West Africa and for the 2022-2031 Strategic Framework and Medium-Term Plan (MTP).”

“Together, we will review the progress made in implementing the recommendations from the 15th PCT meeting. The priorities for West Africa and the Sahel, as well as regional economic communities, will be identified and discussed to inform the upcoming FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC 34), which will be hosted by Mauritania in 2026. Key ideas, experiences, and lessons learned from the implementation of the FAO Strategic Framework will also be shared by participants. By the end of this meeting, participants will have a better understanding of the cross-cutting sectors of social protection and their importance in building resilient communities in West Africa and the Sahel”, explains Ms. Bintia Stephen Tchicaya, General Coordinator of MDT16.

The FAO Subregional Office for West Africa was officially opened on 25 April 2019. It covers fifteen countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo; a community of over 300 million inhabitants.

It supports subregional organizations through its subregional strategy and member countries through the Country Programming Framework (CPF), a strategic document developed jointly by FAO and each member country, based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CPF strategically guides and capitalizes on the actions of technical and financial partners in the concerned countries. Its mission is to help "member nations ensure that their citizens have regular access to sufficient and quality food".

We kindly ask you to mark your calendars for the dates set to ensure media coverage of the event presided over by Mr. Gilberto Silva, Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, from 19 to 22 November 2024, at the Praia Mar Hotel, Praia, Cabo Verde.