This paper investigates public policies implemented in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal to support the agricultural growth pole model. We critically assess assumptions regarding expected positive spillover effects through vertical coordination and tenure formalisation. Using a comparative analysis based on a typology informed by public economics, we show that policies centre on tax exemptions and land tenure, providing only limited support to coordination of actors along the value chain – through agricultural extension services or access to funding. The ongoing implementation of agropoles in West Africa, therefore, exacerbates the risk of the model, bearing negative impacts for smallholders.