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ABUJA, NIGERIA 12-14 DECEMBER 2016 32ND ANNUAL MEETING THE FOOD CRISIS PREVENTION NETWORK OPENING STATEMENT François-Xavier de Donnea President of the Sahel and West Africa Club Excellences, Dear friends of the Sahel and West Africa, and Dear friends of Nigeria, Ladies and gentlemen, I t is a great pleasure to be with you today in Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria, which is hosting for the first time the Sahel and West Africa Week and the Food Crisis Prevention Network. Hosted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and under the patronage of the Commissions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the 32nd annual meeting of the RPCA brings together the region’s key food and nutrition security stakeholders, including many high-level representatives. The Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) are organising the meeting, with support from the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF/ECOWAS). The origin of the Network - and of the Club - is Sahelian. Nigeria can also be considered as “Sahelian” as its name is derived from the Sahelian river which gave it its name and which the Tuaregs call the river of rivers; the people in the north, Hausa and Kanouris of Sahelian origin; the innumerable social and commercial networks, which for centuries, have forged the web of regional integration between the shore of the desert and that of the ocean. A border separates two countries that have the same name - Niger and Nigeria. Yet Maradi is as vulnerable to the unpredictable rainy seasons as Katsina. The border is not a barrier against drought, nor is it a barrier against rising prices in the event of a bad harvest occurring on either side of the line drawn by colonial administrators. Nor is it a barrier for terrorists who have been torturing populations around Lake Chad for far too long. SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA UEMOA Dear friends of Nigeria, We are also with you to express our solidarity and our admiration for the fight you are waging against the murderous madness in the north-east of your country. Ladies and Gentlemen, The food and nutrition situation linked to the bloody conflict affecting the Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states will be the focus of our discussion here today. I will not dwell on this subject, now, but instead, allow me to touch on a broader issue, which I consider extremely worrisome. The security challenges we are facing are real, significant and threatening. But are they not gradually overshadowing food issues on the international agenda? And is it not true that the same can be said of other major challenges? I’m thinking of the issues that are ever present in our minds, in the media and in more developed countries’ politics – I am thinking of migration in particular - are such issues weighing ever more heavily on international co-operation strategies? I feel that this is the case and I am convinced that this trend will not benefit anyone. Club Secretariat The very genome of the Sahel and West Africa - its history and the way in which its societies and economies are organised involves food production and a range of activities conducted by a host of different actors involved in the production of grain, tubers, fruits and vegetables; livestock of all kinds; maritime and inland fisheries; wholesale and retail pick-up services on every street corner; shipping; industrial and artisanal food processing; and so on. To ignore this food DNA, especially when we are concerned about stability and migration, would be a grave error. Take the example of youth employment which is – and justifiably so – THE main concern. Unemployment, or more specifically, the absence of stable income-generating activities, is one of the factors pushing young Africans to join armed groups. It is only one factor among others, but it must be taken into consideration. Unemployment is also a key factor in terms of migratory issues. How can we address this problem? One figure dominates the employment equation: 11 million. This figure represents the number by which the population in West Africa will grow every year for the next ten years. In other words, the 17 member countries of ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS will host an additional 110 million inhabitants in 2026. The total population will grow from 380 million today to 490 million in ten years. How can this challenge be addressed? Where should we focus our efforts? Which sector has a faster growth rate than that of the population, and is less sensitive to fluctuations in world markets? The food economy - today it accounts for more than one-third of regional GDP, in terms of volume, well ahead of export crops or oil, for example. It’s by far the largest source of jobs and it’s on a significant and sustainable growth path, due to domestic demand, which is constantly increasing. In addition, market expansion is opening up new opportunities upstream and downstream in agricultural production, which accounts for only 60% of the food economy. Clearly, support for agricultural producers must be sustained, but it is increasingly essential to foster interest in other actors within the food economy, namely tool manufacturers and repair service providers, fertilizer and seed vendors, retailers, labourers, packers, shippers, processors and restaurant operators. And of course, we must not forget those whose activities make it possible for those mentioned above to conduct business. This sector requires investment on a massive scale if we want to step up the development of economic activities, create an entrepreneurial class and help the most vulnerable, in particular women. The Network that brings us together once again today was established over three decades ago to prevent and better manage food crises. I therefore think it is our duty to collectively remind the African and global communities that food and other crises will emerge in the future if we let our guard down with respect to resilience and developing the food economy. I suggest that the Network make a statement on the topic so its voice can be heard. We have made much progress together in terms of building consensus on the short-term food and nutrition outlook, from one year to the next. We must now strengthen our capacity to analyse and carry out political lobbying on medium and long term policy issues. We must work to prevent crises and promote the opportunities of tomorrow. The seeds of these crises and opportunities are sown in the structural changes taking place in the region. Is the Network ready to commit to moving forward in this way? Thank you. SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA UEMOA Club Secretariat