The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has secured a significant €18 million grant from the French Development Agency (AFD) to accelerate two major regional initiatives designed to modernise agriculture, strengthen livestock systems, and enhance food security across West Africa and the Sahel.
The funding announcement was made on Thursday, December 5, 2025, during an official launch ceremony attended by ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, French Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS Marc Fonbaustier, and AFD’s Country Director in Nigeria, Jacky Amprou. The support reinforces France’s role as a key development partner for ECOWAS, particularly in advancing the region’s agricultural transformation agenda under the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP).
€11 Million for Local Dairy Development
A major portion of the funding—€11 million—has been allocated to the West Africa Milk Offensive Support Project (PAOLAO).
This initiative is designed to revitalise local dairy production by strengthening value chains, improving collection systems, and boosting the processing of locally sourced milk.
Building on the Milk Offensive strategy launched in 2020, the project aims to:
- Double regional milk production by 2030
- Raise local milk content in dairy products to 20–25% by 2035
- Decrease reliance on imported milk powders blended with vegetable fats
- Expand youth employment opportunities in the dairy sector
Running from 2023 to 2028, PAOLAO will support at least 15 milk collection hubs and nine additional value chain projects, providing a pathway for thousands of smallholder farmers—particularly women and young people—to access stable markets.
€7 Million to Strengthen Pastoralism and Livestock Resilience
A second agreement was signed for the Regional Project to Strengthen a Platform of Solutions in Support of Pastoralism and Livestock Farming in West Africa (PEPISAO II), funded with €7 million.
This new phase, covering 2025–2029, builds on achievements from the first phase completed in 2024.
PEPISAO II will focus on:
- Improving social cohesion in pastoral communities
- Enhancing climate resilience for livestock farmers
- Supporting conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms
- Operationalising the ECOWAS Regional Strategy for Livestock Development
- Aligning with commitments from the Nouakchott+10 Declaration of 2024
The project seeks to secure pastoral livelihoods at a time when climate pressures, insecurity, and resource competition threaten stability in several West African regions.
Livestock Systems: A Pillar of Regional Integration
According to ECOWAS, livestock farming remains critical to the region’s development objectives. Beyond contributing significantly to food and nutrition security, the sector represents the second-largest source of intra-regional trade, supporting thousands of local markets, mini dairies, and collection centres.
The Commission underscored that the AFD’s intervention is timely, particularly as West Africa faces a combination of economic, security, and political challenges. Strengthening livestock-based economies is seen as a way to generate decent jobs—especially for young people—while reinforcing social cohesion across borders.
These new projects are aligned with ECOWAS’s long-term vision of creating “An ECOWAS of the Peoples, Peace and Prosperity for All by 2050,” emphasising inclusive growth, regional stability, and sustainable livelihoods.
As the region continues to navigate complex development hurdles, ECOWAS notes that any initiative that fortifies agriculture and livestock systems—and transforms them into engines of employment and resilience—is both welcome and necessary.
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