There is a renewed vigour by stakeholders to double the yearly paddy production in Africa, raising yields from 2.1 to 4.1 tons per hectare, reducing post-harvest losses to below 10 per cent, and cutting down import dependency to under 15 per cent. There are also promises of creating 15 million jobs across the rice value chain, with women and youth accounting for at least half of direct beneficiaries.

This was part of the declaration at the recently held West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable held in Accra, Ghana, where Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), reinforced its commitment to transforming Africa’s rice sector.

Organised by the ECOWAS Commission, the Government of Ghana, and the World Bank, the high-level forum culminated in $1.54b in immediate investment pledges and the signing of the Accra Declaration, a political framework endorsed by ministers from 14 countries committed to reshaping how West Africa produces, processes, and consumes rice.

For investments of this degree to deliver lasting impact, the stakeholders say it must be underpinned by rigorous, locally adapted science precisely where AfricaRice’s mandate becomes critical.

In this context, the REWARD-AfricaRice, West Africa Resilient Rice Value Chains Development programme funded by the AfDB emerged as a direct and operational response to the region’s structural rice challenges.

Designed to strengthen the entire rice value chain from production through processing and marketing, REWARD bridges the gap between research outputs and real investment opportunities on the ground.

According to the Director, Agricultural Finance and Rural Development at AfDB, Mr Richard Kwaku Ofori-Mante: “We need to move from ambition to execution at scale. At AfDB, agriculture and food transformation are central for development. Regional rice programmes like REWARD are a flagship regional response to the challenges we face.”

AfricaRice Director General, Dr. Baboucarr Manneh, underscored the project’s strategic relevance: “The REWARD project is precisely the kind of evidence-based, systems-level intervention that large-scale investment requires. It works directly with farmers, processors, and market actors to build the productivity, quality, and competitiveness that investors need to see before they commit capital.”

For AfricaRice, the leading pan-African centre of excellence for rice research, development and capacity building, the roundtable was both welcome and timely.

As the technical lead of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT II) Rice Compact, AfricaRice used the high-profile platform to showcase the remarkable achievements and impact of the project across Ghana’s rice value chain.

Through the TAAT II Rice Compact, AfricaRice and its implementing partner, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), are reportedly addressing this challenge by scaling up improved rice technologies and strengthening local production systems.

The exhibition highlighted impressive project achievements, including the production and delivery of 450 kg of breeder seed, 27.8 tons of foundation seed, and 1,490 tons of certified seed. The project has also facilitated the development of a national Seed Road Map draft and established six innovation platforms to support sustainable growth within the sector.

A key feature of the exhibition was the participation of private-sector partners supported by the Rice Compact. Greenland Seeds Company showcased certified climate-resilient rice seed varieties that are helping farmers increase productivity, while the Rice Parboiling Processing Centre, operated by a local women’s group, demonstrated the benefits of the rice husk powered GEM (Grain quality enhancer, Energy efficient and durable Material) Parboiling System in improving rice quality, reducing post-harvest losses, and enhancing incomes and health outcomes for women processors and rice consuming population in general.

Through engaging product displays, multimedia presentations, and success stories from farmers and processors, AfricaRice demonstrated how strategic investments, innovation, and public-private partnerships are driving agricultural transformation.

The organisers say the roundtable provided an important opportunity to position the REWARD-AfricaRice project and the TAAT II Rice Compact as catalysts for West Africa’s rice self-sufficiency and broader agricultural and economic development.

The gathering also offered B2B avenue for AfricaRice to engage with delegations of the 14 countries present to better address their specific requirements and ensure the advancement of the rice value chain in their explicit contexts.

Meanwhile, African Development Bank (AfDB) has formally launched Phase III of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), marking a significant milestone in Africa’s journey toward food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agricultural growth.

The launch, held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Campus in Nairobi, Kenya, follows the Bank’s Board approval of an additional US$16m to implement the programme’s third phase, reaffirming its commitment to scaling proven agricultural technologies that improve productivity, strengthen seed systems, and transform livelihoods across the continent.

Implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on behalf of CGIAR Centres and African Agricultural Research, Innovation and Education Institutions (AARIEIs), TAAT has evolved into Africa’s largest agricultural technology delivery platform.

The Director General of ILRI, Prof Appolinaire Djikeng, in his welcome remarks, hailed the TAAT Clearinghouse model as one of the most important achievements of the TAAT programme.

“The TAAT Clearinghouse has become much more than a technology brokerage arm. It is now a broker of innovation, a connector of science and investment, a facilitator of partnerships, and a catalyst for continental agricultural transformation,” Prof Djikeng said.

In her opening remarks, the CGIAR Chief Scientist, Dr Sandra Milach, commended the vision and achievements of the TAAT Programme over the past eight years. She added that the transition of the TAAT Clearinghouse into CGIAR represents a strategic institutional evolution that ensures that the TAAT infrastructure becomes a permanent continental asset capable of connecting CGIAR science to national priorities, development finance,       private-sector investment and country implementation.”

In his keynote remarks, the Officer in Charge of the Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human and Social Development at AfDB, Dr Martin Fregene, affirmed that no institution can transform African agriculture alone. TAAT III, according to him, demonstrates what is possible when governments, CGIAR, development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector work together around a common objective.

“Let us make TAAT III the platform that permanently connects science to finance, partnerships to implementation, and innovation to impact. Together, we can build resilient food systems that feed Africa, Dr Fregene added.

Since its establishment in 2018 under the AfDB’s Feed Africa Strategy, TAAT has demonstrated that agricultural transformation is possible when proven technologies are delivered at scale.

To date, the programme has reached more than 25 million smallholder farmers, increased productivity by up to 69 per cent, influenced US$3.18b in agricultural investments, supported the distribution of 488,000 tonnes of improved climate-resilient seed, facilitated the delivery of 3.1 million tonnes of fertiliser under the African Emergency Food Production Facility, produced over 4,333 metric tonnes of breeder seed, enabled production of 309,073 metric tonnes of certified seed, validated more than 180 proven agricultural technologies, and developed national Seed Roadmaps in eight African countries.

Through commodity compacts, policy reforms, digital innovation, and strategic partnerships, TAAT has helped governments accelerate access to improved seed, climate-smart technologies, mechanisation, digital extension services, and resilient farming systems.

This new phase – Phase III is building upon the remarkable achievements of TAAT I and TAAT II while placing greater emphasis on sustainability.

The programme is aimed at strengthening Africa’s Regional Technology Delivery Infrastructure by increasing certified seed production, expanding digital advisory services, enhancing climate resilience, and integrating TAAT technologies into large-scale agricultural investment programmes financed by governments, development partners, international financial institutions, and the private sector.

Unlike previous phases, TAAT III places sustainability at the centre of implementation through stronger private-sector participation, innovative financing models, and demand-driven technical assistance to African countries.

The programme will also support countries in mainstreaming proven agricultural technologies into national investment programmes, while strengthening regional seed systems and technology-delivery mechanisms.

One of TAAT’s most significant achievements has been strengthening Africa’s seed sector.
Working with governments and partners, TAAT has developed comprehensive national Seed Roadmaps and investment plans in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe.

These investment blueprints identify seed demand, supply gaps, financing needs, policy reforms, institutional strengthening, and private-sector opportunities required to build sustainable national seed systems.

Evidence from TAAT demonstrates that combining certified improved seed with Good Agronomic Practices can more than double crop yields while improving resilience to climate change.

Over the next phase, TAAT seeks to reach an additional 14 million smallholder farmers, while strengthening agricultural institutions, supporting youth and women agripreneurs, increasing private-sector investment, and building resilient food systems across Africa.

By promoting climate-smart agriculture, strengthening agricultural markets, improving access to quality seed, and enhancing regional food security, the TAAT programme aligns closely with the African Development Bank’s strategic priorities of mobilising vast capital, reforming financial architectures, harnessing demographic potential, and accelerating industrialisation.

TAAT Phase III, according to the Director of the CGIAR Scaling for Impact Programme, Dr Tim Krupnik, presents an unprecedented opportunity for the CGIAR to become the science engine that we’d like to see powering Africa’s agricultural transformation.

“It also provides an opportunity to be a template that can be utilised and adapted to improve the work with other financial institutions, through strong partnerships to accelerate impact at scale,” Dr Krupnik said.

As Africa continues to confront climate change, supply chain disruptions, and rising food demand, TAAT Phase III represents a new chapter in transforming agricultural innovation into large-scale development impact.