• Rice is deeply rooted in diets but demand now far outpaces local supply
• Production has increased across the region, yet value chains remain fragmented
• Financing, coordination, and market structure remain key bottlenecks

The fourth most produced cereal in the region after millet, sorghum, and maize, rice remains a staple deeply embedded in food habits across West Africa.

“We have been growing rice in West Africa for more than 3,000 years. Many people think rice is an Asian product, but that is not the case. It is an African food. We have produced it for centuries along the Niger River. It is at the heart of our culture. We produce rice, but we have not yet built a real rice economy,” said Natasha Kofoworola Quist, AGRA’s regional director for West Africa.

From Guinea to Mali and Niger, rice cultivation adapts to multiple ecosystems. Between floodplains, lowlands, mangroves, and hillsides, the crop thrives under very different water conditions thanks to locally selected varieties and the expertise of farmers.

Strong and growing demand

At the same time, rice has become increasingly central in consumption patterns.

Whether broken rice, white non-basmati, premium aromatic varieties, or fragrant types, rice has gained ground on West African plates, driven by population growth and rapid urbanization, which has reshaped food habits.

“Rice is easy to store and cook. Even after cooking, it can be kept for one or two days without major health risks under certain conditions, especially refrigeration. That is why rice has been successful in urban areas. You can cook rice in 10 to 15 minutes, unlike other cereals such as millet or fonio,” said Patricio Mendez del Villar, an analyst at CIRAD.

Thanks to its convenience and affordability, rice now features daily in dishes such as thiéboudiène and jollof rice.

Today, West Africa is by far the largest rice market on the continent, with close to 20 million tons consumed each year. In Côte d’Ivoire, average consumption reaches 84 kilograms per person annually, while in Burkina Faso it exceeds 60 kilograms, compared with 43 kilograms in Ghana.

Rising production but fragmented value chains

To meet growing demand, the region has intensified efforts. Governments have launched self-sufficiency plans, distributing improved seeds, subsidizing fertilizers, increasing guaranteed prices, and investing in irrigation schemes.

“Rice is central to food security, trade, and rural livelihoods. It is also one of the few agricultural value chains in the region showing real commercial momentum, with rising production, growing private investment, and stronger ambitions for regional trade,” said Sunil Dahiya, senior program officer at AGRA.

West Africa now produces about 17 million tons of milled rice annually, around 65% of sub-Saharan Africa’s total. Several countries show progress.

In Mali, domestic production meets nearly 80% of consumption, reaching 2.3 million tons per year, largely thanks to the Ségou region, which supplies about 40% of national output.

Nigeria meets more than 65% of its demand, supported by growing private sector involvement in processing. Milling capacity has expanded from about 350,000 tons per year in 2015 to more than 3 million tons in 2021, while the number of integrated mills has increased from about ten to more than sixty.

Since 2023, the country hosts Africa’s largest rice mill in Lagos, which requires more than 240,000 tons of paddy annually and can produce around 2.5 million 50-kilogram bags each year.

Côte d’Ivoire has also increased output, from about 1.8 million tons in 2015/2016 to nearly 2.3 million tons in 2024/2025. Rice now accounts for about 60% of total cereal production in the country.

Despite these gains, value chains remain poorly coordinated. Producers, processors, traders, and policymakers often operate separately.

Many small mills lack adequate drying, milling, and sorting capacity to meet modern retail standards, reducing the competitiveness of local rice against imports. Conversely, modern mills often struggle to secure sufficient high-quality paddy due to weak contractual links with farmers.

This disconnect creates uncertainty in supply and slows the development of a sector that still has strong potential to contribute to food and nutrition security.

A need for a system-wide approach

Faced with these challenges, stakeholders call for a more integrated approach that goes beyond simply increasing production.

The goal is to address the entire value chain, from inputs and irrigation to processing, storage, logistics, and market information, within a coherent system.

One initiative supporting this shift is the ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO), created in 2021 to help governments design investment plans.

The platform brings together stakeholders at both regional and national levels to align interests and strengthen coordination.

“The Observatory plays a central role in coordination and analysis. It has invested resources to better understand the rice economy, including policy harmonization, regional integration, trade conditions, production dynamics, imports, pricing, and consumption trends,” Dahiya said.

The organization, which held its first annual general meeting in Abuja in 2024, now has a strategic plan and roadmap for the sector.

It has also been selected by the African Development Bank as a key technical partner for the REWARD–AfricaRice program, launched in February to strengthen climate resilience in rice value chains.

Financing remains a critical constraint

Although financing is often cited as a major constraint, Dahiya argues the issue lies more in its structure than in its availability.

“The problem is not a lack of capital, but the fact that it is not aligned with the realities of agricultural markets. Rice mills are not inherently high-risk businesses, yet they face interest rates above 30%, short loan maturities, and strict collateral requirements that exclude viable firms. As a result, capital stays away from a sector that is commercially viable,” he said.

Stakeholders are therefore calling for a shift from fragmented funding to structured financing platforms tailored to value chain needs.

One of the most ambitious initiatives is the development of a $500 million blended finance mechanism dedicated to West Africa’s rice sector.

“This mechanism is being structured by AGRA with partners including the African Development Bank, the World Bank, Ecobank, the Gates Foundation, and UKAid. The goal is to combine concessional funding with commercial capital,” Dahiya explained.

The objective is to address what stakeholders see as the main bottleneck: access to appropriate financing for critical actors, especially aggregators and rice mills.

“The idea is simple: use public and donor funding to reduce risk and attract larger volumes of private capital. In the coming months, partners will finalize the structure and secure commitments. Once launched, it could transform the entire rice system, from mills to farmers,” he added.