ECOWAS hosts fifth biennial review data cleaning workshop to strengthen data-driven agricultural transformation

Member States, in collaboration with regional experts and national stakeholders, successfully concludes the Fifth Biennial Review (BR5) Data Cleaning and Gap Management Workshop organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held from June 23 to 27, 2025, Lagos, Nigeria. The five-day hybrid workshop aims to refine and harmonize agricultural data across Member States in preparation for the 2025 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Biennial Review. Monitoring & Evaluation specialists, data managers, statisticians, and national focal points participated to address persistent data gaps, improve data quality, and ensure alignment with the ECOWAP/CAADP monitoring framework.

Following the remarks from the Director of the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Mr. Alain Sy Traore, and the host country representative from Nigeria, Dr. Olorunmola, the workshop kicked off, focusing on reviewing the status of data gaps under the BR5 process, facilitating country-specific data updates and cleaning exercises, sharing tested solutions and best practices by Member States to resolve common data challenges, enhancing the use and interoperability of ECOWAP’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning System (MEALS) and the electronic Biennial Review (eBR) platform.

Mrs. Fatmata SEIWOH, the Programme Officer, ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring and Evaluation, DARD, engaged Member States in technical discussions on the seven CAADP commitment themes, addressing challenges and data inconsistencies through presentations, group work, and country-led experience sharing. Emphasis was placed on learning from countries with advanced data systems, fostering peer-to-peer support and capacity development.

The highlight of the workshop featured the orientation session on the ECOWAP MEALS and eBR platforms, led by Mr. Oluwafemi Gbenga Bamidele, the ECOWAP Web Administrator, and Mr. Babacar Ceesay, AKADEMIYA2063. Participants engaged in hands-on training on the platforms’ functionalities, with practical data entry and validation exercises on the use of the ECOWAP MEALS platform and interoperability with the eBR system.

The exercise significantly reduced data inconsistencies and improved the member States national datasets in line with regional indicators. To ensure the continuity of the process beyond the workshop, a draft roadmap and next steps were developed, including timelines for the final data submissions and technical support arrangements, including a technical community of practice.

The Director of Agriculture and Rural Development lauded the commitment of Member States to the data cleaning process, emphasizing that accurate and timely data is critical for driving evidence-based agricultural policy and investment in West Africa. The BR5 data cleaning workshop underscores ECOWAS’ strategic vision to ensure that West Africa presents a strong, unified, and data-driven position in the upcoming African Union CAADP Biennial Review. The session reinforced ECOWAS’ commitment to digital transformation in agricultural reporting.