AfDB approves US$9.44M grant to boost climate resilience rice production in West Africa
The project seeks to support over 11,000 farmers, 45% of whom are women and 60% youth.
WEST AFRICA – Rice farmers and processors across 13 West African countries are set to benefit from a US$9.44 million grant from the African Development Fund (ADF) aimed at improving climate resilience in regional rice value chains.
West Africa’s rice demand continues to outpace production, leading to heavy reliance on imports. In 2024, the region imported over 7.5 million metric tons of rice, according to FAO data, highlighting the urgency for sustainable domestic production systems.
The grant, announced on July 17, 2025, will be channelled through the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) under the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), specifically its adaptation-focused component, REWARD-Adaptation.
This initiative is funded through the ADF’s Climate Action Window, the concessional financing arm of the African Development Bank Group.
Targeting rice stakeholders in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, the project aims to embed climate-smart practices into rice production and processing systems.
These efforts are aligned with the region’s food security and sustainability goals, especially amid rising climate-induced challenges affecting the agriculture sector.
According to Marwan Ladki, Senior Irrigation Engineer at the African Development Bank and project lead, the strategy for this project is to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of rice value chains, from production to processing and marketing, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions through the dissemination and adoption of climate-smart practices and technologies.
The project will directly support over 11,000 farmers, early 45% of whom are women and 60% youth, by providing climate-resilient rice seeds and agronomic inputs.
Additionally, more than 12,600 rice farmers and processors will undergo training in sustainable cultivation and processing techniques. A core focus is on scaling up adaptive technologies to reduce environmental impact while ensuring yield stability under erratic climate conditions.
REWARD-Adaptation will also support 65 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with access to climate-resilient machinery and regional business networks.
To further bolster adaptive capacity, digital climate services and radio-based early warning systems will reach an estimated 2 million people, equipping farming communities with real-time information to manage weather-related risks.
To improve regional climate data collection and preparedness, the project will establish four automatic weather stations in each of the 13 participating countries. This upgrade in weather infrastructure is expected to enhance forecasting accuracy and coverage for agricultural planning.
The initiative is projected to generate 47,000 new employment opportunities across the rice value chain, 8,000 of them permanent and 39,000 seasonal, contributing to improved rural livelihoods and economic stability.
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