The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a US$500 million regional rice development project aimed at boosting production and achieving self-sufficiency in rice across West Africa by 2035.
The project, known as the Project for the Development of Resilient Value Chains for Rice in West Africa (REWARD), was launched on Wednesday, November 11, at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
The initiative, being implemented in partnership with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), has an estimated financing envelope of 500 million Units of Account.
It forms part of the ECOWAS Regional Rice Roadmap (2025–2035) and the bloc's broader agricultural transformation agenda under ECOWAS Vision 2050.
Speaking at the launch, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Anthony Oluwatosin Ogunjimi, represented by the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dehpue Yenpea Zuo, stressed the importance of food sovereignty to regional peace, political stability and economic prosperity.
The project is expected to strengthen rice value chains, improve food security and support efforts by West African countries to reduce their dependence on rice imports.
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