ADF approves $9.44m grant to future-proof West Africa’s rice sector
The African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a USD9.44 million grant to the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to strengthen climate-resilient rice value chains in 13 West African countries.
Funded under the ADF’s Climate Action Window, the initiative will support countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The grant will be implemented through the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), specifically its adaptation component, REWARD-Adaptation.
Marwan Ladki, Senior Irrigation Engineer and project lead at the African Development Bank, explained the goal: “The strategy is to reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of rice value chains from production to marketing, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions through the use of climate-smart practices.”
Key highlights of the project include the distribution of climate-resilient rice seeds to 11,000 farmers, including 4,950 women and 6,600 young people. A total of 12,600 farmers and processors will receive training in climate-smart agriculture and value addition. Additionally, 65 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from equipment support and improved access to business networks. To boost climate information services, the project will roll out digital platforms and radio broadcasts to deliver early warning systems and updates to around 2 million people. Each participating country will also receive four automatic weather stations to improve climate monitoring and data coverage. The REWARD-Adaptation project is expected to create 47,000 jobs, including 8,000 permanent roles and 39,000 seasonal positions, offering a major boost to food security, rural incomes, and climate resilience in the region.
