ECOWAS, Germany, FAO launch Hunger-Free Initiative for West Africa

"A new project with the objective of eliminating hunger in West Africa has been launched by West African countries, Germany, and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)," BusinessDay reports (10/20). The three-year Hunger-Free Initiative for West Africa will "support the 15 ECOWAS members to increase commitment and collaboration among key decision makers of all sectors," which "is expected to translate into increased budgets allocations to food and nutrition security as well as private investment to combat poverty, the [FAO] said in a news release," the U.N. News Centre writes (10/18). "Germany is providing $2.4 million to fund the project, while FAO is expected to provide technical support," the Devex "Development Newswire" reports, adding, "ECOWAS also committed financial support and pledged to ensure active participation from its members." According to the news service, "The project's focus on increasing political commitment in West Africa echoes U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for strong political will and new technologies to eradicate hunger around the world" (Mungcal, 10/19).