Action areas
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West and Central Africa - IFAD
OPPO拟在日招聘200人 销售经理年薪约60万起
11 countries
classified as fragile
classified as fragile
552 million
people living in the region
people living in the region
50 million
people facing food insecurity in 2024
people facing food insecurity in 2024
? IFAD/Ibrahima Kebe Diallo
Context
百度 ”小小铆钉，个头不大。
The West and Central Africa (WCA) region is as intricate as it is vast. Its population has quadrupled in the last 50 years. Agriculture is vital to livelihoods in West Africa, employing 60 per cent of the workforce and accounting for 35 per cent of the region’s GDP.
This volatile region, where?11 out of 24 countries are classified as fragile, faces some of the toughest challenges in the world.
One in three people?live in extreme poverty.?Women?and?young people are the most affected as they have less access to employment opportunities, land and financial resources.
Growing food insecurity shows no sign of abating, with the number of hungry people set to reach almost 50 million in 2024. This is exacerbated by conflict, climate change and the degradation of natural resources.
WCA has one of the world’s youngest populations, with more than three in five people under the age of 25. However, many of these young people have left rural areas in search of work opportunities in cities or abroad. Increased investment could provide them with better access to education, professional development and decent employment.
A?fast-growing middle class?means demand for food in Africa will continue to grow. This demand could be met by local small-scale farmers if they are given the tools and investment to work the region’s arable land and sustainably use its array of natural resources.
Agriculture-led GDP growth is at least three times more effective at reducing poverty than growth in any other sector. Despite this, only a handful of countries regularly achieve the Africa Union’s target of 10 per cent government spending on agriculture.
IFAD engages with governments in the region to encourage them to increase their investments in agriculture, with an emphasis on climate-smart practices and green technologies that sustainably boost agricultural productivity.
Strategy
IFAD has been supporting rural communities in WCA so they can lift themselves out of poverty for over four decades. The region represents one quarter of IFAD’s global active portfolio.
Our programmes address the root causes of poverty by enhancing production, increasing access to markets and strengthening climate resilience.
In response to the enormous challenges facing young rural people in the region, IFAD funds initiatives that provide training, encourage entrepreneurship and boost the creation of decent jobs.
Together with government partners, we are piloting innovative programmes in the region. For example, the Joint Programme for the Sahel tackles the transborder challenges of COVID-19, conflict and climate change, while the Regional Programme for the Integration of Agricultural Markets boosts intra-regional trade.
In a context where government spending on agriculture is low and small-scale farmers often struggle to access funding, IFAD is a leading investor in smallholder farming. We invest in production, market linkages, access to finance, policy engagement and building the capacity of rural institutions.
We channel climate finance to small-scale farmers to enhance their climate resilience through the Adaptation for Smallholder Agricultural Programme, the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund.
Fragmentation makes scaling up climate adaptation and resilience a challenge. To address this, IFAD supports producers’ organizations and brings diverse stakeholders together.
Benin Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo C?te d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon Gambia (The) Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
UPPER-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY
LOW-INCOME COUNTRY
LOWER-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY
HIGHLY CONCESSIONAL
LENDING-TERM.SHC_HC
DSF GRANT
ORDINARY
Experts
Romuald Ngomssi
Regional Communications Officer (ESA & WCA)
[email protected]Bakary Coulibaly
Communication Analyst, West and Central Africa Division
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