AfDB approves US$18M to boost climate-smart rice value chains in Côte d’Ivoire
The project aims to develop sustainable, climate-smart rice production systems that enhance both yield quality and quantity to meet millers’ needs.
CÔTE D’IVOIRE – The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has approved US$18.6 million in financing for the Côte d’Ivoire component of the Regional Project for the Development of Resilient Regional Rice Value Chains in West Africa (REWARD-CI).
The approval, granted on April 22, 2025, in Abidjan, supports a total project cost of US$21.44 million, with the Ivorian government contributing an additional US$2.84 million aimed at enhancing food sovereignty in the nation.
Implemented over three years in the Bélier and Gbèkè regions of central Côte d’Ivoire, the project aims to develop sustainable, climate-smart rice production systems that enhance both yield quality and quantity to meet millers’ needs.
The initiative will be led by the Rice Sector Development Agency (ADERIZ), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment and Food Production.
The REWARD-CI project is structured to address critical weaknesses in the rice value chain—from seed access to processing and marketing. By facilitating the development of rice processing cooperatives, strengthening agro-industrial capacities, and improving market linkages, the project will position local rice to better compete with imports.
It also supports harmonized policy and regulatory reforms to ensure competitiveness and integration of local rice markets.
According to Beth Dunford, AfDB’s Vice President for Agriculture and Human and Social Development, the initiative represents a flagship response to the food sovereignty agenda championed during the Dakar 2 Summit in January 2023.
“This project is one of the Bank’s flagship operational responses to the financing of the Compacts of West African countries resulting from the Dakar 2 Summit jointly organized by the African Union and the Bank,” she said.
Crucially, the project is designed to bolster food security across West Africa by laying the foundation for a more ambitious second phase that could draw larger public and private investments. Focus areas for future expansion include agro-processing, input supply chains, agricultural service delivery, and expanded marketing infrastructure.
In terms of impact, the project will directly benefit 1,660 rice producers, of which 580 are women and 415 are youth. These producers will gain improved access to quality seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, mechanization services, and agricultural support systems.
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