Sahel nations unite under new agricultural seed alliance to strengthen food security

The APSA-Sahel initiative was launched by the Sahel states Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
The alliance aims to promote locally adapted seed systems and reduce dependency on foreign imports.
The establishment of APSA-Sahel indicates a shift toward greater economic independence within the Alliance of Sahel States.

The AES - Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have come together to create the Alliance of Agricultural Seed Producers of the Sahel (APSA-Sahel), with the aim of strengthening regional food sovereignty and promoting locally adapted seed systems tailored to the Sahel’s unique climate and agricultural challenges.

The announcement was made by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture, Denis Ouédraogo, signaling a unified commitment by the three countries to reclaim control over their agricultural systems amid mounting climate, economic, and geopolitical pressures.

The APSA-Sahel initiative is designed to reduce the region's heavy dependence on foreign seed imports, promote indigenous seed varieties, and enhance cooperation in seed research, production, and distribution.

By pooling resources, knowledge, and infrastructure, the alliance seeks to empower local farmers with access to high-quality, climate-resilient seeds suited to the region’s arid conditions.

According to Sputnik Africa, the alliance hopes to strengthen their agricultural output through three major means.

First, they aim to cultivate and market quality seeds that are adapted to the region’s climate. Second, they intend to facilitate the free circulation of these seeds across member states. Lastly, the initiative is designed to strengthen food sovereignty within the region.

The creation of APSA-Sahel comes at a critical time for the AES, as the seed alliance represents a deeper move toward agricultural and economic self-reliance ifdc

Sahel states seek economic independence

Since their breakaway from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Sahel states - Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have pursued a deliberate path toward economic independence, enacting a series of coordinated policies aimed at fostering deeper integration within their own Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

This strategic shift reflects both a rejection of what they view as ECOWAS’s political overreach and an aspiration to build a more self-reliant and internally focused economic bloc.

One of the most symbolic steps in this direction is the creation of a common AES passport, designed to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, and services within the bloc.

This move effectively replaces the ECOWAS travel document and signals the trio’s commitment to regional mobility on their own terms.

The common passport also reinforces the idea of shared identity and sovereignty, while simplifying cross-border trade for citizens of the three countries.

In parallel, the AES states have formally withdrawn from the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), which had previously allowed tariff-free movement of goods across West Africa.

Their withdrawal represents a decisive break from ECOWAS's economic framework and opens the way for the creation of a new intra-AES trade regime.

The creation of APSA-Sahel comes at a critical time for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as the seed alliance represents a deeper move toward agricultural and economic self-reliance, as sanctions and trade disruptions have exposed the vulnerabilities of external dependency.