The food landscape in West Africa has been undergoing a major transformation since the early 2000s. Population growth, rapid urbanization, changing lifestyles, and rising incomes have driven significant shifts in food consumption patterns across both rural and urban areas.

These dynamics were the focus of the report, "Diet Transformation and Changing Food Environments in the Sahel and West Africa," published by the OECD's Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC/OECD) and presented on the sidelines of the recent African Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar.

In this interview with Ecofin Agency, Alban Mas Aparisi, an economist at SWAC/OECD, associate researcher at Sciences Po Bordeaux, and a co-author of the document, discussed the report’s main conclusions, analyzing the challenges and stakes of dietary diversification in the continent’s most populous region.

Alban Mas Aparisi

Ecofin Agency: Your report explores several issues concerning diets in the sub-region, ranging from diversification to the impact of urbanization and income. What are the main findings?

Our study analyzed household survey data collected by the national statistical institutes of Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria between 2018 and 2023. The analysis revealed a two-sided pattern of dietary diversification. On one hand, people are consuming more fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods—what we call "good diversification." On the other hand, they are also consuming more ultra-processed products, sugar, and fats—which we term "bad diversification." A common example is Senegal, where about half of all products consumed, in both rural and urban areas, are processed, with one-quarter being ultra-processed.

When we talk about processed foods, it's not inherently a bad thing; that can simply mean flour or semolina, for example. However, ultra-processed items include things like snacks, chips, and sugary drinks, which have a negative impact on health. Generally, the region's poorest households tend to fall into the "bad diversification" category, as they begin to consume more oils and sugar, while wealthier households are shifting toward healthier but more expensive items like fruits and vegetables.

Generally, the region's poorest households tend to fall into the "bad diversification" category, as they begin to consume more oils and sugar, while wealthier households are shifting toward healthier but more expensive items like fruits and vegetables.

How have the region’s food environment and its influence on diversification evolved?

When we discuss the food environment, we’re trying to understand how a consumer’s choice of food is affected by their surroundings: the physical access to various points of sale, the variety of goods offered at those places, the cost of products, and the role of information and advertising in shaping preferences.

The first major finding is that the majority of households now purchase their food, even in rural areas, and even for basic products traditionally associated with self-consumption. For example, in Mali, 65% of the millet consumed today is bought on the market.

The second key development is a shift away from traditional open-air markets. Historically, people in the region,mostly women, did nearly all their grocery shopping at large open markets. While 50% of purchases still happen there, we see growing consumer reliance on convenience stores, street vendors, small grocery stores, and kiosks. This has nutritional implications because the offerings at these smaller outlets differ from those at large open markets. They often carry less diversity and more individually sold products, such as eggs, sugar, or milk. Households without cars or limited transport who live far from the main markets are dependent on these smaller vendors and have greater difficulty accessing a varied diet.

While 50% of purchases still happen there, we see growing consumer reliance on convenience stores, street vendors, small grocery stores, and kiosks.

The third point is the noticeable rise in away-from-home consumption. As people work farther from their homes, it dictates their eating habits. For instance, in Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria, approximately 80% of households reported eating outside of their home at some point during the week.

How are these dynamics, the shift in purchasing versus self-production, evolving in rural and urban settings?

We certainly see disparities. The first is that markets play a much more crucial role in food supply in cities. In urban areas, between 90% and 95% of food is purchased, making consumption highly sensitive to fluctuations in food prices. In rural settings, that figure is closer to 50%, with the rest produced for household consumption. But in both contexts, the issue of price has become a critical factor in the region's food and nutritional security.

The second disparity is that urban households spend, on average, 50% more on food than their rural counterparts because they buy more expensive items. These are often processed foods or products with higher nutritional content, such as vegetables, fruits, and meat, which cost more than traditional staples like cereals, roots, and tubers. This presents an opportunity for regional producers, as this higher-value demand could spur both upstream and downstream investment in local food systems.

However, regarding dietary diversification, the consumption share of ultra-processed products is the same in both rural and urban household surveys. Even rural populations are consuming a significant portion of ultra-processed foods.

Regarding dietary diversification, the consumption share of ultra-processed products is the same in both rural and urban household surveys. Even rural populations are consuming a significant portion of ultra-processed foods.

In West Africa, and Africa more broadly, there is increasing discussion of the triple burden of malnutrition, a phenomenon where a single population exhibits caloric underconsumption, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight or obesity. How do the current diversification trends contribute to or alleviate this situation?

That’s an important question. Our analysis did not specifically evaluate the nutritional impact of this dual diversification. However, the ongoing dietary transformations in the region pose a major public health risk that policymakers must address regarding the triple burden. The increased consumption of sugary or ultra-processed products is a factor driving non-communicable diseases like diabetes and obesity.

The ongoing dietary transformations [...] pose a major public health risk that policymakers must address regarding the triple burden.

On the other hand, diversification presents an opportunity to lighten the load of this triple burden when it involves greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, animal products, and other goods like legumes, all of which are associated with healthy diets.

In fact, there is a real imperative for public authorities to facilitate the production, transport, and processing of healthy, nutritious products by supporting national trade and intra-regional flows. Public policy also has a responsibility to curb the consumption of these ultra-processed products. This could be achieved through several measures, such as taxes on sugary drinks, labeling requirements to educate consumers on nutritional quality, or "zoning" policies to ensure, for example, that ultra-processed product vendors or fast-food outlets are not near schools. Another important point, though not covered in our study, is school meal programs: institutional procurement for these meals offers an ideal chance to source healthy products, integrate them into menus, and acclimate students from childhood to consuming wholesome foods rather than those that are sugary, fatty, and ultra-processed.

Another important point, though not covered in our study, is school meal programs: institutional procurement for these meals offers an ideal chance to source healthy products, integrate them into menus

Speaking of that product category, the West African region is attracting growing interest from global fast-moving consumer goods and fast-food multinationals eager to capture the demand of a young, booming population. What kind of policies can ensure that healthy products also find their place in this food landscape?

This is mainly about economic accessibility. Lowering the price of healthy foods requires supporting local value chains for vegetables, legumes, fruits, and animal-source foods. This support should focus on improving productivity, processing efficiency, and transport, all of which lower the costs for consumers.

A second option is to take action that increases the price of unhealthy products. For instance, taxes on sugary drinks are gaining consensus globally as they serve both as a fiscal measure, generating revenue for the state, and as a public health measure by discouraging consumption. It is also possible to act on other levers, such as requiring nutritional labeling on products, or regulating advertising campaigns to avoid having giant billboards in cities that promote the consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods.

What are your projections for regional demand and dietary trends over the next few years?

West Africa is no longer synonymous with rurality. Urbanization data from the OECD's Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) show that a little over half of West Africans currently live in cities. That figure is projected to hit two-thirds by 2050, according to our latest report, Africa's Urbanisation Dynamics 2025. Of the remaining rural population, fewer people will work in farming; instead, they will take up jobs in the rural economy's burgeoning sectors, like food processing, transport, and marketing.

This rapid transformation ensures that an increasing share of the population's diet will consist of processed and ultra-processed products bought in markets. Accelerated urbanization leaves households with less time for food preparation, as commutes lengthen and women, traditionally responsible for shopping and cooking, increasingly join the formal economy. This time constraint further drives demand for convenience.

Accelerated urbanization leaves households with less time for food preparation, as commutes lengthen and women, traditionally responsible for shopping and cooking, increasingly join the formal economy.

Consequently, we anticipate a sharp surge in the consumption of both higher-value processed products and ultra-processed foods. These dietary dynamics compel policymakers to take serious action on public health, economic development, and food security in the region. The issue of food in West Africa is more than ever political.

Interview by Espoir Olodo