Enhancing regional salt trade in West and Central Africa

Senegal is the largest producer of salt in Western and Central Africa, followed by Ghana. The rest of the countries in the region import salt. Regional trade is therefore an essential factor in ensuring the availability of quality iodized salt to importing countries.

Enhancing regional trade has the potential not only to improve the availability of iodized salt, but to contribute to economic growth and sustainable development by creating opportunities for economies of scale and enabling the movement of salt from producing to importing countries.

To better understand the trade structures linking supply and demand in the region, IGN and UNICEF partnered with The Broker, a think tank for sustainable development, to review the region’s iodized salt trade.

Through data and information gathered from country-level studies in Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast, the report reviewed the dynamics, barriers, and opportunities presented by the flow of iodized salt in the region,

The report presented a broad overview of the iodized salt trade in the region, identifying knowledge gaps and promising avenues from a regional trade perspective, for combating iodine deficiency in the region. Its aim was to spark discussion among relevant stakeholders at national level and stimulate a regional dialogue about what can be achieved together to facilitate the trade in iodized salt.

A regional workshop was then organized in Dakar, Senegal in November 2022 to identify a common way forward to facilitate the regional trade of quality iodized salt, with government delegates from the studied countries and salt industry representatives. An over-arching message from the meeting is the need for a strong collective and regional effort, and a commitment to salt iodization.