The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has set an ambitious goal. It wants to produce all the rice the region needs by the year 2035. ECOWAS is now asking governments and investors to put more money into growing rice. This is because the organization sees rice farming as key to making sure West Africa has enough food. It also believes it can transform the region's farming sector.
Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, spoke at a meeting in Accra on June 2, 2026. He stated that West Africa can no longer rely heavily on buying rice from other countries. The region has plenty of land and potential to grow its own food. "We cannot keep importing what we can grow ourselves," he said. This meeting, the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable, is an important step. It helps move forward the ECOWAS Rice Agenda and the shared aim of growing enough rice.
Currently, West Africa produces only 61 percent of the rice it consumes. Between 2008 and 2024, rice production went up by 44 percent. However, more people are living in cities. Also, people are eating more rice than before. These changes happened faster than the increase in rice grown locally. This means the difference between how much rice is needed and how much is grown keeps getting bigger. Dr. Touray sees this gap as a chance for growth. It is an opportunity to make more rice at home, build stronger connections between businesses that grow and sell rice, attract money for farming, and make food systems much better across West Africa.
Making rice a main focus for food security and economic growth has been part of ECOWAS plans for many years. The ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) has prioritised rice for over a decade. In 2014, ECOWAS started the Rice Offensive. This program was created to support national plans for growing more rice. More recently, in December 2024, leaders from ECOWAS countries agreed on a plan for rice from 2025 to 2035. This plan gives countries a common guide for how to invest and what rules to make to help rice farming.
To help everyone work better together, ECOWAS has created a group called the ECOWAS Rice Observatory. This group brings together governments, farmer groups, schools that study farming, and business leaders. They work to track progress and help make sure the plans are put into action. Dr. Touray mentioned that countries have also made their own plans. These plans identify specific projects and ways to get money for them. He thanked the World Bank and the African Development Bank for their help with this effort.
Despite progress, there are still challenges in the rice sector. These include growing rice with old methods that do not produce much. The cost of growing rice is high. Farms often do not have good machines to process the rice after harvesting. Too much rice is lost or spoiled before it reaches people. It is also hard for farmers and businesses to get money, or loans, to expand. The amount of money from private businesses going into rice farming is not enough.
Dr. Touray stressed that these problems need more than just talking. They need real actions to be taken. "This roundtable must therefore serve as a catalyst for action," he stated. He wants the meeting to make investors feel more secure and confident. He hopes it will strengthen the relationships between different groups. It should also speed up getting money for projects that are ready for investment. The goal is to build a rice industry in West Africa that is more competitive, can handle problems, and can produce all the rice it needs.
The ECOWAS agricultural policy is currently being updated. This update aims to match a new agreement called the Kampala Declaration on agricultural transformation. For the first time, this update includes conversations with nine different types of people and groups. These include farmers, researchers, women, young people, banks, and business owners. Dr. Touray described this process as open and involving many people.
He added, "Our ambition is clear: to build more competitive, inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems that strengthen food sovereignty, create economic opportunities, contribute to shared prosperity and progressively achieve regional rice self-sufficiency by 2035." He also praised Ghana for hosting the meeting and for its leadership in improving farming and working together in West Africa. Dr. Touray ended by asking for clear results from the discussions. "The success of this roundtable will ultimately be measured not by the quality of our discussions, but by the progress we deliver for our farmers, our businesses and our communities," he said. The two-day meeting brought together ministers, investors, banks, and business leaders to find ways to get money for the region's rice plans. The World Bank and the African Development Bank are helping to organise the event.