ECOWAS revises its agricultural standards to improve quality and strengthen regional trade

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) continues its efforts to improve the quality of agricultural products in the region. In this context, a four-day regional workshop was held in Lomé, Togo, from May 19 to 22, 2025.

Organized by the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Industry, in collaboration with the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development, the workshop was supported by the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) in West Africa. This program, backed by the World Bank, aims to enhance food security and make agriculture more resilient to climate, health, and economic shocks.

Opening the workshop, Mr. Lassane Kaboré, Director of Industry at the ECOWAS Commission, emphasized the strategic importance of the initiative, stating:

“Updating our agricultural standards means modernizing our agriculture, protecting our consumers, and supporting regional integration. It is a crucial step toward meeting the expectations of West African markets.”

The workshop focused on standards for six key agricultural products: rice, maize, tomatoes, dry beans, fresh cassava, and groundnuts. The objective was to harmonize revision proposals submitted by Member States under the ECOWAS Standards Harmonization Model (ECOSHAM).

This initiative is part of the implementation of two major regional policies:

• ECOQUAL, the ECOWAS Quality Policy;
• ECOWAP, the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy.

Through this update, ECOWAS aims to strengthen the competitiveness of West African agriculture, facilitate trade between member countries, and ensure safe, healthy, and high-quality agricultural products for populations.

At the end of the workshop, the revised draft standards were validated. The next step is their submission for national consultation in each Member State, prior to their final adoption by the ECOSHAM Technical Management Committee (TMC).