Transforming Agrifood Systems in West and Central Africa 2024 Annual Wrap-Up Workshop: Three Years of Impact and a New Chapter
Group photo TAFS-WCA annual Wrap-up workshop in Abuja, Nigeria.
Credit photo: AfricaRice
From October 29 to November 1, 2024, Abuja, Nigeria, was held the 2024 Annual and Wrap-Up Workshop of the Transforming Agrifood Systems in West and Central Africa (TAFS-WCA) Initiative. This workshop marked the culmination of three impactful years focused on improving nutrition, income, and food security in the region through climate-resilient, market-driven agrifood systems and youth and women empowerment. The workshop of TAFS-WCA has brought together key stakeholders (with 60 participants) to reflect on achievements, share insights, and plan the way forward under the new CGIAR portfolio for 2025-2030.
About the TAFS-WCA Initiative
TAFS-WCA was launched in 2022 to address the unique challenges facing West and Central Africa’s agrifood systems. The initiative’s goal is to build resilient food systems that adapt to climate change while creating economic opportunities, particularly for youth and women. It operates through five integrated work packages:
Sustainable Intensification and Diversification for safe, nutritious food and resilient production.
Informed Digital Agriculture for climate resilience.
Sustainable and Inclusive Landscape Management for environmental stability.
Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Models to boost economic participation.
Accelerating Impact and Scaling Up Investments to drive widespread adoption of successful practices.
Over the past three years, TAFS-WCA has engaged stakeholders from six focus countries—Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and Rwanda—using a participatory approach. Stakeholders have connected at workshops in Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda in 2022, in Ghana in 2023 and now in Abuja in 2024 to align on shared goals and track progress.
Workshop Highlights: A Four-Day Agenda
The 2024 Annual and Wrap-Up Workshop served as both a review and a planning session for future activities. Key sessions allowed stakeholders to discuss lessons learned and plan strategically for upcoming efforts. Here’s an overview of each day:
Day 1: The workshop opened with a general introduction and overview of the program’s goals and objectives by Dr Aminou Arouna (Initiative lead, AfricaRice) and Dr Regina Kapinga (Co-lead, IITA) followed by a presentation of achievements from 2023 and 2024. Detailed presentations on each work package enabled participants to assess progress, identify areas for improvement, and set a foundation for future activities.
Day 2: Participants focused on the new “Scaling for Impact” program and its alignment with TAFS-WCA objectives. Through group discussions, they explored new opportunities for collaboration and considered ways to enhance the program’s impact within the Scaling and Policy Science Programs.
Day 3: It starts with the participation of partners from the 6 targets countries. The representative of the CGIAR's continental director for Africa and Director General of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Dr Kehinde Makinde, said in his speech that the first three-year phase of the TAFS-WCA had seen remarkable progress.
He said that the introduction of good agronomic practices to farmers in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire had enabled farmers to better adapt to the realities of climate change.
“Through the introduction of improved crop varieties, water-saving practices and integrated pest management, we have helped thousands of farmers in countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire to adopt sustainable agricultural practices that are better adapted to the realities of a changing climate."
Also, on the subject of the value chains, Dr Kehinde said that the program has helped to link farmers to markets and introduce them to value-adding activities to improve incomes and economic stability.
“We have linked farmers to markets and improved value-added activities, particularly for staples such as cassava, maize and vegetables. This has enabled smallholders to capture a greater share of the value of their produce, providing them with better incomes and greater economic stability’.
He also praised the importance of the collaboration and support of the private sector, as well as the collaboration with various partners, including CORAF, icipe, the World Vegetable Center and other stakeholders, which have been key to the success of the initiative.
In the same day, national stakeholders joined for discussions on achievements specific to each focus country. Representatives from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, the DRC, and Burundi shared completed activities, underscoring the initiative's impact at a country level. Presentations also highlighted the role of private sector collaboration in advancing sustainable agrifood systems.
Day 4: The final day emphasized future planning under the new CGIAR portfolio for 2025-2030. Stakeholders engaged in roundtables to discuss strategies for continued collaboration, and panel discussions explored country-specific perspectives and CGIAR centers’ roles in the region. The workshop concluded with reflections on building stronger, more synergistic partnerships in the years to come.
Key Outcomes and Next Steps
The workshop achieved several key outcomes:
A comprehensive evaluation of the initiative’s implementation from 2022 to 2024.
Summaries of accomplishments across the five work packages, demonstrating significant advancements toward resilient, market-driven agrifood systems.
Strategies to align with the Scaling for Impact and Policy Science Programs in CGIAR’s upcoming portfolio, facilitating large-scale impact across the region.
Moving Forward
This event underscored the power of regional collaboration in driving positive change across West and Central Africa’s agrifood systems. Looking ahead, TAFS-WCA is well-positioned to scale its successes and deepen its impact, paving the way for a sustainable and food-secure future.
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