• Mali will host the inaugural Agriculture Development Forum of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) from September 18–20.

• The event aims to promote food sovereignty, harmonize agricultural regulations, and attract investment in strategic value chains.

• The forum follows regional initiatives, including a common agricultural policy and a Sahel seed producers’ alliance.

Mali will host the first Agriculture Development Forum of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) in Bamako from September 18 to 20, Agriculture Minister Daniel Siméon Kelema said on September 10. The announcement came after a cabinet meeting in Bamako.

Kelema said the event seeks to build synergies across the agricultural sector and define a shared vision for sustainable transformation of food systems within AES.

“The forum specifically aims to promote food sovereignty in AES; define a shared vision of agricultural development within the confederation; identify areas for harmonizing the legislative and regulatory framework of the agricultural sector; and inform and raise awareness among potential investors about opportunities in strategic agricultural value chains,” the government said in a statement.

The initiative builds on broader efforts to strengthen agricultural cooperation and food security. In February, Niger’s Agriculture Minister Elhadj Ousmane Mahaman said AES members were working toward a common agricultural policy.

On July 2, Burkina Faso’s Agriculture Minister Ismaël Sombié announced the creation of the Alliance of Sahel Agricultural Seed Producers (APSA-Sahel).

The three Sahel countries face common challenges, including arid climate conditions. In April, representatives pledged to intensify irrigation and water management in agriculture by 2035 under the Dakar Declaration on Irrigation.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum