The African Development Fund Board has approved $99.16m to develop regional rice value chains under the West Africa Rice Development project.

A statement by the African Development Bank stated the project aims to boost food security in West Africa by promoting investments in rice value chains to achieve self-sufficiency by 2030.

It stated that the African Development Fund will disburse $99.16m in grants to support rice value chain development in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Africa Rice Centre.

The funding includes $15.95m, $43.88m, and $19.94m from concessional loans, plus $19.39m from the Transition Support Facility for fragile nations.

“The African Development Bank Group will cover 91.2 percent of the project cost, with Gambia and Guinea-Bissau contributing 5.2 per cent each, beneficiaries 1.7 per cent, ECOWAS 1.2 per cent, and AfricaRice 0.8 per cent,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, it noted that at the national level,  the project aims to boost rice production, enhance farmers’ incomes, especially for women and youth and strengthen climate resilience, processing, marketing, and regional rice trade.

It stated that the project will develop irrigation, distribute climate-smart seeds, enhance rice processing, and improve marketing, focusing on women’s and youth’s skills, finance, and climate resilience. It also aims to strengthen cooperatives and mechanization access.

At the regional level, the first regional project, supported by AfricaRice, will provide regional technical support for encouraging innovation in rice cultivation value chains in the project’s intervention countries in West Africa. This includes a needs assessment for seeds and varieties in the various countries, as well as the production and distribution of improved seeds.

The second regional project, supported by ECOWAS, focused on policy and regulatory harmonisation across West Africa.

“It aims to enhance governance in the regional rice sector through the ECOWAS Rice Observatory, which will also receive project support,” it added.

“The project will benefit all 15 West African countries through regional initiatives. In Gambia, 20,000 rice farmers (6,000 women and 4,000 youth), 10,000 producers (3,000 women and 3,000 youths) will gain access to seeds, fertilizers, and equipment, while 40 women will receive financial inclusion support,” it stated.

“In Guinea-Bissau, 16,000 rice farmers, including 5,000 women and 3,000 youths and 50,000 producers (15,000 women and 15,000 youth) will gain access to seeds, fertilizers, plant protection products, mechanization, and equipment,” it added.