ECOWAS launches $650m rice project, targets 35m tonnes by 2035

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a $650m initiative to strengthen rice production across the subregion, as it targets an annual output of 35 million tonnes by 2035.
The six-year Resilient Rice Value Chain Development Project (REWARD), supported by the African Development Bank and AfricaRice, is designed to improve production, processing and marketing while making locally grown rice more competitive.
The ECOWAS Commission announced the initiative on Tuesday during the inauguration of its steering committee, which will oversee implementation and provide strategic direction.
Speaking at the event, the commission’s Vice-President, Anthony Ogunjimi, said West Africa would require about $25bn in investment to achieve its rice sufficiency target.
He disclosed that $1.5bn had been raised at an earlier conference in Accra to support investment in the region’s rice value chain and improve farmers’ access to finance.
Ogunjimi said food sovereignty depended on the region’s ability to produce more of the food its people consumed and reduce exposure to external shocks.
“Higher output alone will not be enough. Rice is central to this ambition,” he said.
He added that achieving self-sufficiency would require improvements in fertiliser supply, irrigation, access to quality inputs, processing, financing, market access and policy consistency.
According to him, ECOWAS will contribute through regional policy and regulatory reforms, coordination, improved regulation of agricultural inputs and digital monitoring using the ECOWAS Rice Observatory.
He said the steering committee would provide strategic oversight, support decision-making and identify challenges early enough to keep the programme accountable.
“Ultimately, our success will be measured by stronger production systems, improved processing capacity, more competitive locally produced rice, increased investment, better livelihoods and greater regional resilience,” Ogunjimi said.
A representative of AfricaRice, Dr Sali Atanga, said rice was central to food security, rural livelihoods, employment and economic integration in West Africa.
He identified limited access to quality seeds, low productivity, climate variability, inadequate mechanisation, post-harvest losses and fragmented markets as major challenges facing the region’s rice sector.
“Addressing these challenges will require more than isolated national investments and interventions,” Atanga said.
He said AfricaRice would focus on strengthening rice seed systems, developing climate-resilient varieties, promoting sustainable production technologies, improving mechanisation and reducing post-harvest losses.
Atanga also called for stronger public-private partnerships, noting that scientific innovations would have greater impact when supported by effective delivery systems, strong institutions and viable business models.
“Our collective success should be measured not only by the activities implemented or investments mobilised but by the tangible benefits to farmers, women, youth, entrepreneurs and consumers across West Africa,” he said.
The Coordinator of the ECOWAS Rice Agenda and REWARD Programme, Dr Boladale Adebowale, said the inauguration of the steering committee marked a step towards commencing the project.
She urged governments, businesses and individuals with the necessary resources to support the initiative, stressing that regional collaboration would be crucial to achieving the 2035 production target.