Around one hundred (100) stakeholders and partners of the food and nutrition system in West Africa and the Sahel met in Lomé from 20 to 22 March 2024. The objective of the meeting was to take stock of the situation within the framework of the Regional Mechanism for the Prevention and Management of Food Crises in West Africa and the Sahel (PREGEC).

The conclusions of this meeting show that almost 38.1 million people are acutely food and nutritionally insecure in the Sahel and West Africa region and in Cameroon, including around 25 million in Nigeria.

“If nothing is done immediately, the situation will worsen and could reach 52 million people between June and August, including more than 2.4 million in emergencies,” warn the stakeholders and partners during their meeting in Lomé.

The worsening food and nutrition situation is the result of several factors, including the sharp erosion of household purchasing power following the soaring prices of the main foodstuffs, as well as persistent insecurity and conflict in the Lake Chad basin, Liptako Gourma, north-west Nigeria and the English-speaking part of Cameroon.

To stabilize the situation, PREGEC recommends that governments: i) strengthen information monitoring on the food and nutrition situation; ii) continue to implement national response plans for vulnerable populations; and iii) refrain from using measures to restrict the free movement of food in the sub-region.

PREGEC also urges development partners to support governments in the rapid implementation of their response plans, and to strengthen the security of supply routes to areas affected by civil insecurity in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

Cereal production for the 2023-2024 crop year was 77 million tonnes. Production was 0.6% down on last year. This drop is explained by rainfall problems and lower production in Niger (-5.5%), Nigeria (-5.7%) and Chad (-6.8%).

As a reminder, the PREGEC charter is a code of good conduct which sets out the responsibilities and commitments of the stakeholders involved in the prevention and management of food crises. These commitments relate to strengthening information systems, platforms for dialogue, coordination and coherence of interventions, and prevention and response instruments. Through this framework, farmers’ organisations, civil society organisations and private sector organisations are calling on the public authorities and their technical and financial partners to respect the commitments of the PREGEC charter.