🌍 West Africa

West Africa is a region in the west of the African continent, from the dry Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea coast. West Africa spans the dry Sahel and the humid coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Dairy herding is concentrated mainly in the Sahel and the savannas, where herders, above all the Fulani, keep zebu cattle as well as goats and sheep. According to the FAO, about a fifth of Africa’s milk comes from animals other than cows.

Fresh milk spoils quickly in the heat, so it is soured in calabashes. Sour milk — called nono in Nigeria — is eaten with fura, millet balls. The region’s best-known cheese is wagashi, a soft fresh cheese made by curdling cow’s milk with the sap of Calotropis leaves. It is made and sold in Benin, Nigeria, Ghana and neighbouring countries.

Milk processing is traditionally women’s work, and for many families it is an important source of income. Researchers note that the quality and safety of market products depend largely on how they are produced.