West African leaders, development partners and financial institutions have renewed calls for increased investment in the rice sector as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pushes to achieve regional rice self-sufficiency by 2035.
The appeal was made at the opening of a two-day Round Table on Investment in the Rice Sector in West Africa in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday, under the theme: “Mobilising Resources to Achieve Rice Self-Sufficiency in West Africa.”
The meeting, organised by the ECOWAS Commission’s Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture with support from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), aims to attract public, private and blended financing to accelerate national and regional rice investment plans across the region.
Opening the event on behalf of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s Vice-President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, said the discussions extended beyond agriculture and touched on broader issues of economic transformation and regional integration.
“Beyond the issue of rice, this meeting raises questions regarding economic transformation, regional integration and Africa’s ability for self-sufficiency with dignity,” she said.
ECOWAS Commission President Dr Omar Alieu Touray described the roundtable as a critical step towards strengthening food security and reducing dependence on imports.
“ECOWAS’ ambition is to establish competitive, inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems that strengthen food sovereignty, create jobs and promote shared prosperity, whilst achieving regional self-sufficiency in rice by 2035,” Dr Touray said.
He added that the gathering should serve as “a catalyst for action” capable of unlocking the investments needed to transform the region’s rice value chain.
The opening ceremony featured contributions from Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku; Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem; World Bank Vice-President for Global Environment, Guangzhe Chen; and Richard Ofori-Mante of the African Development Bank.
Participants also received a presentation on the “Vision for Rice Self-Sufficiency in West Africa by 2035” from ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Kalilou Sylla.
Rice remains one of the most consumed staple foods in West Africa, but the region continues to rely heavily on imports to meet growing demand. ECOWAS says achieving self-sufficiency will require coordinated investment in production, processing, storage, transport and market systems.
The Accra roundtable is expected to produce commitments from governments, development partners and private investors aimed at accelerating the implementation of the regional rice development agenda.
