As part of the "ECOWAP+10" process launched by ECOWAS, the SWAC/OECD Secretariat reflected on the underlying trends that are transforming the environment and prospects for the regional agricultural policy. Today 45% of the West African population lives in cities. Rapid urbanisation has resulted not only in an increase in the number of non-producing consumers but also in qualitative changes in demand; these two trends are powerful engines of agricultural transformation. Any effort to improve agricultural production will prove insufficient if challenges in other segments of the value chain are not addressed simultaneously. Agro-food systems in West Africa must adapt to changes in demand if the region is to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the size of its domestic market. As the region reflects on adjustments to its common agricultural policy ten years after its adoption, stakeholders and decision makers should take note of the evolutions in the agro-food economy since 2005.
