Launched on 27 April in Abuja, the EUR 8 million programme will finance field projects that support agro-ecological intensification on family farms in five West African countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Togo. Read on

CILSS leaders gathered on 7 February in Niamey for the 18th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government. Organised back-to-back with the G5 Sahel summit, six presidents (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) as well the Prime Minister of Togo participated in the event. Discussions focused on how to advance reforms of the 45-year old institution and how to provide the institution with sustainable financing. Read on

The African Development Bank approved on 10 January a grant of USD 43 million to help Niger become more resilient to food and nutrition insecurity. It will support the implementation of the first phase of the Reform and Economic Resilience Support Programme (PARRE) covering the period of 2017-19. Read on

A new book by Deogratias Niyonkuru from Burundi, offers a large number of ideas and food for thought about the condition of African smallholder farmers. One key message: Farmers are not sufficiently involved in the decision-making processes that concern their future. The book will be presented at a GRIP meeting on 12 January in Brussels. Read on