The African Development Bank and the West African Countries Economic Communities (ECOWAS) Committee have signed a $11.78 million grant protocol to strengthen rice production in the region to ensure food security and reduce West Africa’s reliance on costly rice imports.
The grant was approved by the Bank Group’s board of directors on November 20, 2024 and funded the West African region’s resilient Rice Value Chain Development Programme (Remuneration – Kowa). The grant coincides with a $1.18 million joint funding by the ECOWAS Commission.
ECOWAS Committee Chairman Dr. Aleu Omar Toure and Nigeria Director of Banking Banking, Dr. Abdul Kamala signed the contract on the 10th at the ECOWAS Committee Headquarters in the Nigerian capital, showing great advances in the institution’s goals to increase agricultural productivity and strengthen the local food system.
For many in West Africa, rice is not just a staple food, but also a pillar of food security and an indicator of economic stability. Despite Africa’s vast agriculture possibilities, West Africa continues to rely on imports to meet demand, putting a burden on the economy and food system. With demand expected to increase significantly over the next few years, strengthening local rice production is not just a priority, it is an urgent need.
Over the next five years, the Reward-Ecowas project will focus on supporting policy reforms, improving regulations on agricultural inputs, and strengthening regional digital surveillance systems to enhance competitiveness in the US sector in West Africa. The ECOWAS Committee will lead the implementation of this initiative through its Economics, Agriculture and Agriculture Bureau and the ECOWAS Rice Observatory.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kamala highlighted the bank’s commitment to strengthening food security and value chain development in the region.
“In 2021, West Africa produced roughly 14 million tons of milled rice, but demand exceeded 22 million tons. This gap has resulted in a significant import of this gap, costing the region $3.5 billion a year,” he said. “The Remuneration and Kowas project are key steps to reduce import dependence, boost food production and reduce vulnerability to regional global market fluctuations. The African Development Bank is proud to support ECOWAS in this initiative that benefits all 15 ECOWAS member countries, including Nigeria.”
Tworay expressed the committee’s appreciation for the grant and reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to implementing the project promptly.
“Food and rice production is part of food security that is also related to peace and security. Therefore, for us, we need to implement key projects such as rewards quickly. The project is consistent with the ‘4×4 strategy’ that is fixed on regional peace and security, deeper regional integration, good governance, comprehensive and sustainable development. ”
Rewards – The Kowas Project is part of a broader regional effort to implement the ECOWAS Regional Rice Roadmap (2025-2035) and the ECOWAS Rice Observatory’s plan of action. This is consistent with the African Development Bank’s regional strategy paper for West Africa 2020-2025. From 2020 to 2025, we will strengthen support for the ECOWAS region, including improving agricultural productivity and building local food systems.
The new agreement provides ECOWAS countries with the opportunity to transform the US sector, ensure food sovereignty and reduce vulnerability to global market fluctuations. The success of this project will allow millions of new jobs to be created, and stabilise and strengthen the region’s resilience to future food crisis.
