Local Government, COVID-19 and Food Security at the Grassroots Level: Any Hope for the Vulnerable in West Africa?

In any government structure, local government, at least, theoretically, is the closest government to the people either in a federal or unitary system. The COVID-19 lockdown brought into the global space a new normal that further distorted people's way of life and undermine development at the grassroots level in West Africa. The new normal, which restricted movement of people, stimulated conditions that hampered food security. This calls for an academic interrogation, to examine the impact of the COVID-19 on food security, using the vulnerable group at the grassroots level as a unit of analysis. It argues that despite the efforts of the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS) to boost food security amid COVID-19, the vulnerable still suffer from hunger and mal-nutrition in West Africa. The paper draws on qualitative approach that was sourced through desktop reviews. Data were analysed using descriptive content analysis. The findings expand knowledge on how local government autonomy or empowerment enhances food security at the grassroots in West Africa. It concludes that massive engagement of the people in organic food production will help lessen COVID-19 induced hunger and mal-nutrition in West Africa.