West Africa’s main food and nutrition security players met in Lomé on 13-18 March. They discussed ways to better co-ordinate these efforts so that regional actions becomes more efficient and coherent, and not limited to just the sum of these projects and programmes. Read on

Food prices in West African countries are significantly higher than in other areas of the world with comparable levels of development. This situation seriously affects food security and the welfare of households. It is, according to Thomas Allen from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat, “one more reason to unlock the trade potential of the region,” writing in the Rural 21 magazine. Read on

The humanitarian community gathered on 25 February 2017 at the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad region. According to UNOCHA, more than 10 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in this area; 7 million experience food insecurity; 1.8 million are internally displaced; more than 1 200 schools are damaged; 3 million children need educational assistance and about 1 million houses were destroyed by Boko Haram. Co-hosted by Norway, Nigeria, Germany and the UN, the conference raised USD 672 million in additional pledges, but access and protection in Boko Haram controlled areas of Borno State remain key challenges. Read on

G20 agriculture ministers met on 22 January in Berlin to discuss their contributions to global food security and improved nutrition. They approved a 2017 action plan entitled, “Towards food and water security: Fostering sustainability, advancing innovation,” in which they pledged to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the COP21 Paris Agreement. Read on