Accra, Ghana, August 20th, 2025 (ECA) — The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and partners, has launched a project to strengthen Member State capacity to develop Regional Agricultural Value Chains (RAVCs), applying the African Union (AU) Guidelines for the Development of Regional Agricultural Value Chains in Africa. The initiative focuses on Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to boost intra-regional trade in agricultural goods and advance implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Developing competitive cross-border value chains is central to Africa’s regional integration agenda. By enabling specialisation, scale, and value addition across borders, RAVCs can unlock higher productivity, increase export earnings, catalyse technology and skills transfer, create jobs, and improve food security. The approach also aims to reduce post-harvest losses and stimulate local agro-industries through better infrastructure, standards, and market linkages.
Implemented within the African Union’s Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) programme—an AfCFTA-associated and Agenda 2063 flagship adopted in 2019—the project will support Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as they explore a common agro-industrial park model, drawing on lessons from the Zambia–Zimbabwe collaboration. This will help build a demonstrable case for cross-border agro-poles and related policy and institutional innovations at national and regional levels.
At the opening of the workshop, Ms. Joan Kagwamja, Chief, Land and Agriculture Section, Division of Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources,Coordinator at the Economic Commission for Africa said: “AfCFTA is unlocking Africa’s single market. With AU-endorsed Guidelines on Regional Agricultural Value Chains, ECA and partners are powering agro-processing, diversification and intra-African trade—advancing.”
“With ECOWAS, we have prioritized cocoa and rice value chains for Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. We are validating the cross-border study to guide pre-feasibility for a joint agro-industrial park under Commun African Agro Park (CAAPs), she further added
“The Common African Agro-Park is an African Union flagship on value sovereignty. An Agro-Park pre‑feasibility and a Green Climate Finance track will mobilise climate‑resilient investment for Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire”, said Ms. Janet Edeme, Director, Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, in her opening remarks.
“The quest for a purposeful, diversified cocoa & rice basket and value chain would increase Ghana’s strategic interests in imports substitution, nutrition & affordability for households and job. We must turn borders into bridges under AfCFTA to boost Made-in-Ghana, Made-in-Africa”, she added.
For his part, Mr. Zonon Abdoulaye, Coordinator of ECOWAS Programme of Community Development, in his welcome remarks said: “ECOWAS Commission is advancing West Africa’s integration through initiatives such as the West Africa Common Industrial Policy to move from exports to value addition”, adding that “Inclusive transformation is our priority. We will support AfCFTA rollout, align the different initiatives with the AfCFTA and scale cross‑border value chains like Côte d’Ivoire–Ghana—using e‑certificates of origin and trade portals.”
The current phase is to:
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Assess cross-border value chains for two strategic commodities, including cocoa; and
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Examine the policy, regulatory, and institutional frameworks needed to promote those value chains.
The work responds to persistent constraints facing small-scale producers across the sub-region—such as limited access to technology, affordable finance, and adequate transport, storage, energy, and irrigation infrastructure—by proposing practical, regionally coordinated solutions that crowd in private investment and align public policy with market opportunities.
Among the participants were Ms. Janet Edeme, Head, Rural Development Division, Acting Head Agriculture and food Security Division, Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) from the African Union Commission; Mr. Michael Kusi Appiah, Chief Analyst-Research Division, NDPC representing Director General, National Development Planning Commission, Ghana; Mr. Daniel Sowah, Principal, Industrial Officer, Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Ghana; Mr. Zonon Abdoulaye, Coordinator of ECOWAS Programme of Community Development and Joan Cuka Kagwanja, Chief, Land and Agriculture Section, Division of Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources, at the Economic Commission for Africa.
Notes to editors:
AU Guidelines on Regional Agricultural Value Chains: Developed by ECA with the AU Commission and partners; endorsed at the Third Ordinary Session of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment in October 2019.
AfCFTA: Seeks to create a single African market for goods and services, facilitating movement of capital and people and laying the foundation for a continental customs union.
CAAPs: The Common African Agro-Parks initiative promotes regional agro-industrial hubs to increase locally produced and processed foods and goods, advancing value addition and trade.
Partners: The project is implemented by ECA in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and development partners, engaging public and private stakeholders across the value chain.
Issued by:
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Economic Commission for Africa
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