1. RESIMAO EXPERIENCE (West-African Market Information Network) Improving access to high-quality information on the regional agricultural market: the case of West Africa PALENCIA, 29 March-1 st April 2011 Pierre Traoré, Chairman of the ICT Group of the RESIMAO

2. Presentation Plan : 1. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO 2. The RESIMAO’s characteristics 3. Steps towards the creation of the platform 4. Current system (country level and regional level) 5. Successes 6. Challenges 7. Conclusions

3. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO  Early 1980s: adoption by States of structural adjustment policies –reduction of budget deficits via economic liberalisation measures. This led to the liberalisation of trade in agricultural products –this new environment very rapidly revealed the information asymmetry between stakeholders (producers, merchants, consumers and institutions)

4. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO  Late 1980s: emergence of the MIS to correct the information asymmetry with the aim of: –making markets transparent by:  improving their efficiency  ensuring equal access for all stakeholders to the new opportunities of the liberalised market –improving information available to decision-makers to improve food security management

5. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO  Thus, the MIS were responsible for collecting, processing, analysing and disseminating commercial information on agricultural markets to all private and institutional stakeholders;  The MIS were very quickly faced with the problem of the lack of information beyond national frontiers needed to develop their analyses.

6. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO  Exchanges of information by post between the MIS (Mali, Senegal, Niger and Burkina Faso) were initiated and developed between 1990 and 1994;  From 1995 to 2000, the MIS developed telephone communication channels to exchange information on the main markets of the capitals of the various countries.

7. From the creation of the MIS to the creation of the RESIMAO  Between 2001 and 2004, the MIS exchanged reports via the Internet and developed their relationship by setting up a regional MIS thanks to the support of the PASIDMA;  In November 2004: General Assembly in Kpalimé (Togo): adoption of the Bylaws, Rules of Internal Procedure and the creation of an Operational Unit.

8. The RESIMAO’s characteristics  Ten (10) national MIS (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Togo).  390 rural and urban markets (distribution, wholesale, semi- wholesale and retail markets).  39 targeted sub-regional markets of interest

9. The RESIMAO’s characteristics  Products monitored (cereals; market garden products, fish, livestock, input products and agricultural materials, tubers and starch);  The RESIMAO is the ECOWAS regional correspondent for market information;  The RESIMAO has an internet platform: www.resimao.org

10. Steps towards the creation of the platform  Mistowa-Busylab experience: Failure, Mistowa proved to be far more of a competitor than a support project;  CTA-BLE-ISICAD experience: Better, the RESIMAO had a platform. However, the current transfer and maintenance costs are not sustainable  Discussions are currently being held on the creation of a new platform with the ECOWAS

11. Current system (country level and regional level ) SIMs nationaux CEDEAO: Centre informatique communautaire CEDEAO: Centre informatique communautaire RESIMAO: Cellule Opérationnelle et le groupe TIC RESIMAO: Cellule Opérationnelle et le groupe TIC ULCD Enquêteurs

12. Current system (country level and regional level)  At country level, everything is based around the MIS (Central Unit and Local Collection and Dissemination Units;  There is a real information flow within the MIS/OMA and between the MIS and its other partners, as per the following diagram:

13. ULCD based in local chambers and networked RESIMAO ROESAO ROPPA RECAO INSTITUTIONS

14. REPRESENTATION OF A TYPICAL ULCD

15. Current system (country level and regional level)  The coordination of the network and the management of all the information flows is based on massive use of ICT;  Thus the RESIMAO uses:  RACs (ULCD);  Print media (dissemination);  Landlines (data transmission);  Mobile phones and the Internet (websites; e- mail; Skype) (transmitting and receiving data).

16. Successes  Information symmetry between the stakeholders  Permanent monitoring of markets (collecting, inputting, analysing and disseminating information);  Publication of weekly, monthly and half-yearly newsletters  Publication of price directories;

17. Successes  Weekly online exchanges of prices between RESIMAO member countries  Promoting contacts between the sub- region’s stakeholders (facilitating exchanges)  Greater visibility regarding business opportunities  Existence of national databases on agricultural products

18. Successes  Existence of a joint platform;  Farmers –Increased bargaining power –Information on new markets  Merchants –Arrival of new economic operators –Closer integration of markets –Enhanced fluidity of trade –Geographically enlarged market

19. Successes  Decision-makers –Avoids poor policy making  A better understanding of the reasons for price fluctuations (integration of markets)  Evaluation of the impact of natural crises on food security  Good management of food aid (case of 1991) –Facilitates the regional integration of trade in local agricultural products

20. Today West Africans have access to relevant, precise and reliable market information for decision-making and trade purposes

21. Challenges  Getting all ECOWAS countries to join the RESIMAO  Promoting the emergence of national MIS via administrative and financial autonomy  Improving coverage of the real needs of users of the information disseminated  Decentralising the MIS (bringing the system closer to local stakeholders in order to ensure that their needs are more closely integrated)  Creating a new platform on the basis of in-house competences  Promoting the innovative institutional development of all the network’s MIS  Creating regional databases

22. Conclusion The RESIMAO is a network of MIS at the service of stakeholders involved in the trade in agricultural products in West Africa and having an:  efficient collection and communication network and  an appropriate dissemination system and  its role is to improve the availability of food products and access to them, which are two key pillars of food security.

23. Thank you!