The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) converged over the weekend to plan future agricultural strategies. The meeting was attended by stakeholders from the Project Coordinating Unit under the Ministry of Agriculture, regional agricultural directorates, technical experts, the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), veterinary services and WAAPP officials.
WAAPP is a joint initiative of the World Bank and ECOWAS. It aims to strengthen agricultural research activities in ECOWAS member states in order to improve agricultural productivity. The Adaptable Program Lending for WAAPP comprises seven countries and has US$12m funding, US$7m of which comes from the World Bank with the remainder comprising a grant from the Spanish Government. The World Bank is implementing the project at the international level.
Director General of NARI, Dr Babou Jobe, spoke at the meeting. He noted the importance of collaboration, saying that no institution or project can be successful without the collaboration of other development partners.
According to Dr Jobe, the activities of WAAPP will help to address the challenges of food insecurity, alleviate poverty and will also contribute to economic growth and development.
The WAAPP country coordinator, Sheikh Tijan Sosseh, also spoke at the event. He emphasised the importance of bringing all stakeholders together in order to more effectively implement WAAPP projects.
