LOMÉ, TOGO – 09 September 2026 — His Excellency Ambassador Berik Aryn, Director General of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS), accompanied by Mr. Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Chief Multilateral Relations Officer, and Ms. Mathaba Agab, Project Manager, undertook a working visit to Lomé, Republic of Togo, on 7-8 September 2026, with a primary focus on advancing Togo’s accession to IOFS as a fully-fledged Member State and strengthening cooperation in food security and agricultural development.
During the visit, the Director General held consultations with senior Togolese authorities, including H.E. Mr. Essowè Georges Barcola, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Mr. Tékizé Madodzi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development.
Discussions focused on Togo’s prospective full membership in IOFS, including the steps towards accession and the opportunities for Togo to engage more actively in IOFS programmes and technical cooperation. The discussions also covered key national agricultural development priorities of Togo and how IOFS could assist in accelerating the country’s agri-food systems transformation.
As part of the visit, the Director General also met with Mr. Kolani Kanfitin, Executive Director of the ECOWAS’s Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF). The meeting explored technical and institutional cooperation in regional food-storage standards, emergency food reserves and agricultural resilience, including the potential contribution of RAAF’s regional experience to the implementation of the IOFS Food Reserves Programme.
The visit reaffirmed IOFS’s commitment to supporting Togo in advancing its accession process and integrating more closely into the Organisation’s food-security cooperation framework. Full membership would provide an important platform for Togo to strengthen its engagement with OIC Member States, access technical expertise and partnerships, and contribute to collective efforts to build more resilient and sustainable food systems.
The IOFS Director General expressed his appreciation to the Government of Togo for its constructive engagement and reaffirmed the Organisation’s readiness to work closely with the Togolese authorities towards the successful completion of the country’s membership process and the development of practical areas of cooperation.
The visit forms part of IOFS’s broader efforts to strengthen engagement with African Member States and advance Africa–OIC cooperation on food security, sustainable agriculture and resilient agri-food systems.
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