Prices of coarse grains followed mixed month-on-month trends in countries of the Sahel and along the Gulf of Guinea in December 2024 and January 2025. In several countries of the subregion, prices of coarse grains were higher compared to the same period last year.

In Mali, wholesale prices of both sorghum and millet remained stable or decreased seasonally across the country in January 2025. Prices of sorghum were generally 10 to 25 percent above their year-earlier levels, while prices of millet were 15 to 45 percent higher year-on-year, mainly reflecting high transport costs, conflict‑related market disruptions as well as production shortfalls of the 2024 cereal harvest in several areas. In Burkina Faso, wholesale prices of sorghum followed mixed trends, while prices of millet remained stable or declined. Prices of both cereals were up to 55 percent higher on a yearly basis in most monitored markets, except for a few markets, where the year-on-year increase of millet prices were more pronounced. Localized production shortfalls due to flooding, strong local demand, as well as conflict-related market disruptions are factors that contributed to keeping sorghum and millet prices above their year-earlier levels. In the Niger, wholesale prices of both millet and sorghum were stable or rose in January 2025, and prices were generally near their year-earlier values, underpinned by adequate domestic supply due the above-average cereal output in 2024. Furthermore, reports suggest an improved supply of cereal imports, following a period of reduced cross-border trade due to the lingering effects of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sanctions. In Senegal, the national average retail price of maize, sorghum and millet decreased seasonally in December 2024, and despite a substantial reduction in 2024 cereal production, prices were below their levels from a year earlier.

In Benin, retail prices of sorghum registered seasonal declines of up to 15 percent month-on-month across the country in December 2024, while prices of maize either remained stable or increased. Prices of sorghum were below those of the previous year, whereas prices of maize were near their year-earlier levels. These price levels reflect a generally adequate domestic supply, supported by the commercialization of newly harvested crops and the indefinite ban on the export of basic food commodities, including maize, rice, millet and sorghum, that was introduced by the government in May 2024. In Togo, retail prices of sorghum and maize were stable for the second consecutive month in most monitored markets in December 2024. Whereas prices of sorghum were lower year-on-year, prices of maize remained 12 to 29 percent higher on a yearly basis, reflecting localized production shortfalls and elevated transport costs across the country, a situation that the government aimed to alleviate by reducing retail petroleum prices as of 10 December 2024. In Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, the average price of locally produced rice registered a slight seasonal decline, while the average price of wheat flour rose in December 2024, and the prices of both items were about double their year-earlier levels. The high prices of cereals were attributed to several factors, including the weak national currency, high transport costs, cereal production shortfalls and conflict-related market disruptions in several areas. After increasing for three consecutive months, the country’s annual food inflation rate was stable in December 2024, when it was estimated at 40 percent.