AfDB Approves $9.4M Grant to Boost Climate-Resilient Rice Farming in West Africa

The African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional arm of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, has approved a $9.44 million grant to the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to strengthen climate resilience in rice value chains across 13 West African countries.

Funded through the Fund’s Climate Action Window, the project will benefit rice producers and processors in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The grant forms part of the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), specifically its adaptation-focused component, REWARD-Adaptation. It is designed to accelerate the use of climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies throughout the rice production and processing sectors.

“The strategy for this project is to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of rice value chains, from production to processing and marketing, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions through the dissemination and adoption of climate-smart practices and technologies,” said Marwan Ladki, Senior Irrigation Engineer at the African Development Bank, who is responsible for the project.

Key interventions include the distribution of climate-resilient rice seeds to 11,000 farmers, 4,950 of them women and 6,600 youth. The project will also train 12,600 farmers and processors, support 65 small and medium-sized enterprises with equipment and improved market access, and deliver climate services and early warning systems via digital platforms and radio, reaching up to 2 million people.

In addition, four automatic weather stations will be installed in each participating country to enhance climate monitoring. The initiative is expected to generate around 47,000 jobs, including 8,000 permanent and 39,000 seasonal employment opportunities.

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