African Development Fund Enhances Climate-Resilient Rice Value Chains in West Africa
Abidjan – The African Development Fund (ADF) has allocated $9.44 million to the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to boost the climate resilience of rice value chains across West Africa.
The ADF Board of Directors (http://apo-opa.co/4nUpfmv), which represents the concessional funding arm of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org), approved this funding on 17 July 2025.
This financing, provided through ADF’s Climate Action Window (http://apo-opa.co/4nVdlsD), will support rice producers and processors in 13 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The initiative is part of the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), focusing on its adaptation component (REWARD-Adaptation), which aims to promote climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies in rice production and processing.
“The strategy of the project is designed to reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of rice value chains—from production through to processing and marketing—while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions via the adoption of climate-smart methods and technologies,” remarked Marwan Ladki, Senior Irrigation Engineer at the African Development Bank.
Ladki, who manages the project, noted that key interventions will include providing climate-resilient rice seeds to 11,000 farmers, of which 4,950 are women and 6,600 are young farmers.
The program will also train 12,600 farmers and processors, alongside supporting 65 small and medium-sized enterprises by supplying essential equipment and improving access to business networks.
Additionally, the project will enable the delivery of climate services and early warning systems through digital platforms and radio, benefiting as many as two million individuals.
It plans to set up four automatic weather stations in each country to improve climate monitoring and spatial coverage.
Expected outcomes include the creation of 47,000 job opportunities, comprising 8,000 permanent positions and 39,000 seasonal roles.