From 2018 to 2024, Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) and Market Access Program (MAP) funds played a key role in expanding U.S. corn and corn co-product exports to West Africa, particularly Senegal, through a series of coordinated trade, capacity-building efforts and commercial engagements led by the Council’s regional office for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Africa’s growing population presents a significant opportunity for U.S. agricultural exports, particularly for corn and corn co-products used in the feed grains industry. The Council is actively working on educating feed and poultry producers across Sub-Saharan Africa on the nutritional and economic benefits of U.S. products, ultimately supporting the growth of local feed manufacturing and helping meet domestic demand.
The Council engaged with West African feed industry leaders in 2022—including key customers from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire—in the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta and a tour of the Savannah Port. This led to stronger commercial ties and resulted in a 500 MT sale and shipment of U.S. corn co-products to Senegal, valued at $100,000.
In 2023, the Council held a major regional conference in Senegal attended by 35 West African feed buyers and nine U.S. agribusinesses. The event directly led to the third-ever sale of DDGS to Senegal, of 700 MT valued at $265,000, and reinforced trade connections between U.S. suppliers and potential buyers from across 15 African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon.
In June 2024, building on the success of the previous year’s iteration in Dakar, Senegal, the Council’s EMEA regional office organized its 2nd African Buyers and Sellers’ Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, further strengthening the commercial ties between U.S. feed grain exporters and African importers and end-users. The Conference drew nearly 70 buyers from 14 African countries, eager to connect with U.S. exporters and learn about crop quality from U.S. farmers. The event also allowed the Council to further expand its influence across Africa, highlighting the added value of U.S. corn and corn co-products with major importers there. Following the conference, the Senegalese team in attendance reported buying 700 MT of U.S. corn co-products valued at more than $290,000.
Buyers and sellers’ conferences are proving incredibly effective in fostering trade relationships, and the feed grain industry is keen to continue these successful events in Africa.
The Council invested $225,000 of ATP and MAP funds in promoting West African trade connections with U.S. suppliers, resulting $655,000 in DDGS exports to Senegal with a ROI of $2.91 for every $1 of ATP and MAP funds invested.