The Sahel and West Africa Week 2015 took place in Milan from 26 to 30 October. Organised in collaboration with Expo Milano 2015, the Week raised public awareness of the Expo’s theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” from a West African perspective.  The Expo represented a unique opportunity for stakeholders and partners to showcase their achievements and to share knowledge on how to improve food and nutrition security and increase resilience in the region.  The Week brought together regional organisations, representatives from West African governments and OECD countries, and experts in several events, including a two-day Forum to discuss the impact of  on-going transformations on food security and resilience; a special session of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) and a meeting of the Senior Experts Group of the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR) – Sahel and West Africa.The Week was organised by the Sahel and West Africa Club and its Members and partners, by invitation of the European Union.  

More information:

Sahel and West Africa Week Forum Summary Record

RPCA Special Session and AGIR Senior Experts Group meeting Summary 

Sahel and West Africa Week Brochure

Presentations and documents

Photos and videos

Stats of the Week: Food Security in West Africa (oecd.org)

L’Africa occidentale è sempre più urbanizzata (article in expo.rai.it - italian) 

Interview with SWAC President, Mr. François-Xavier de Donnea (magazine.expo2015.org - italian) 

‌Related blog posts

Climate change: Effective mitigation and adaptation efforts could reduce food insecurity (Kirsty Lewis, UK Met Office Hadley Centre)

Urbanisation, structural change and the food system: The crucial role of rural-urban linkages (Cecilia Taccoli, IIED)

Dépasser l’agriculture, penser alimentation (Thomas Allen, SWAC Secretariat)

Women's empowerment in West Africa: Increasing access to reproductive health services and rights is crucial (Susan Sandars, Marie Stopes International)

 World Food Day 2015: Building Resilient Societies and Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty in the Sahel and West Africa Region (Ousman Tall, SWAC Secretariat, OECD Insights blog)

Food Security: A film dedicated to the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) tells a Sahel and West Africa success story (Julia Wanjiru, SWAC Secretariat, AfDB blog)

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A look back at Food Security Month

‌October was Food Security Month, a thematic month of the European Year for Development. The month featured a wide range of thematic face-to-face events and each week featured a specific regional and thematic focus with the final week coinciding with the Sahel and West Africa Week (26-30 October) at the Milan Expo. Events and resources for a professional audience are posted on the ROSA network, the online network on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. 
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