West Africa has the technology, policies, and financing tools needed to transform its rice sector, but stronger coordination among stakeholders is the missing link, according to Guangzhe Chen, Vice President for the Planet Vice Presidency at the World Bank Group.
Speaking after the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable held in Accra on June 2–3, Chen said the region’s rice industry has significant potential but requires better collaboration between governments, private investors, financial institutions, and development partners.
Rice plays a major role in West Africa’s food system, accounting for around 40% of cereal consumption in the region. However, despite abundant agricultural resources, the sector continues to face challenges including low productivity, limited infrastructure, and difficulties accessing markets.
Chen emphasized that agriculture remains one of Africa’s sectors with the greatest potential for transformation. While the continent has a large share of the world’s arable land, agricultural output remains relatively low, and food insecurity continues to affect millions of people.
The World Bank Group is supporting agricultural transformation through its AgriConnect initiative, which aims to help 300 million smallholder farmers worldwide transition from subsistence farming to commercial production by 2030.
In West Africa’s rice sector, the initiative focuses on strengthening the entire value chain through improved infrastructure, stronger policy frameworks, and increased private sector investment. This includes improving irrigation, storage, processing, transportation, agricultural finance, and access to better technologies.
Chen explained that many solutions already exist, including improved crop varieties, better subsidy systems, and stronger market connections. The challenge is ensuring these solutions are implemented effectively across countries.
Smallholder farmers, who dominate rice production in the region, remain central to this transformation. The World Bank encourages farmers to organize through cooperatives and producer groups to improve access to mechanization, irrigation, and other technologies while allowing them to remain independent landowners.
By working together, farmers can increase their bargaining power and capture more value from activities such as processing, logistics, storage, and marketing.
Following the rice investment roundtable, West African countries are developing national implementation plans under AgriConnect. These strategies will identify country-specific priorities while encouraging cooperation between governments and private sector actors.
Chen said achieving rice self-sufficiency in West Africa by 2035 will depend less on discovering new solutions and more on improving coordination. Stronger collaboration between institutions such as ECOWAS, the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, governments, and investors will be essential to turning existing opportunities into real results.
The future of West Africa’s rice sector, he noted, depends on moving from discussions to coordinated action, policy reforms, and practical investments on the ground.
