Family photo of the political, administrative, and customary authorities as well as representatives of the World Bank and ECOWAS after the official launch.

“Joining forces for Food system risk Management in West Africa” was the theme under which stakeholders and partners officially launched the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) for Ghana on 7 December 2023 in Kumasi.

Attended by administrative, political and customary authorities, as well as the World Bank and ECOWAS, the launch ceremony focused on outdooring FSRP to Ghana, mobilizing stakeholder support for its implementation and promoting business opportunities under FSRP.

ECOWAS, which was invited to the ceremony, congratulated Ghana on its participation in this flagship program which it sees, as the programme’s coordinating institution, as a unique tool that will strengthen regional integration by facilitating regional trade in food products, as well as exchanges of technologies and innovations and the mobility of researchers and stakeholders between countries, which will contribute considerably to the implementation of ECOWAP, the regional agricultural policy, and thus accelerate the transformation of the agricultural sector in the sub-region.

The representative of the Regional Coordinator of the FSRP, Dr Gaoussou Diarra, reiterated ECOWAS’s willingness to provide institutional and technical support to all stakeholders and partners to ensure the success of the program.

At the end of the day, the 300 participants noted the government’s commitment to joining forces with sister West African nations and the World Bank to promote the best interests of Ghanaian farmers. With the presentations of the main activities of the FSRP Ghana, the public was better informed of the magnitude of the work to be done and its expected impact on the lives and livelihoods of the targeted beneficiaries. The operational principles of sustainability, ownership, and public-private partnership of the FSRP were clearly explained.

The beneficiary communities also noted the commitment of the political, administrative and customary authorities to the success of the FSRP in Ghana.