Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called for stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector, farmers and other stakeholders across West Afric
The report indicates that deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called for stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector, farmers and other stakeholders across West Africa to build a self-sufficient and competitive regional rice industry.
It further notes that speaking at a high-level ministerial dialogue at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda, Mr Dumelo stated greater regional cooperation was critical to addressing the challenges facing rice production and reducing West Africa’s reliance on imports.
“It’s important that West Africa collaborates on the rice value chain because no country is an island,” he said.
Despite its significant potential to produce rice locally, West Africa spends more than US$3.5 billion each year importing the staple.
Mr Dumelo stated countries across the region had already begun working together to strengthen rice production, but argued that these efforts needed to be deepened and better coordinated to achieve meaningful self-sufficiency.
“In the last few years, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone, all these countries have been working together. The main aim is that we should be able to be self-sufficient in rice production so that we stop the imports and create more jobs.”
The Deputy Minister stated achieving that objective would require a collective effort involving governments and farmers, as well as greater participation from businesses operating across the rice value chain.
“It has to be a collaborative effort between government and farmers,” he said.
Mr. Dumelo emphasised that regional cooperation should extend beyond production to the wider rice value chain, including access to inputs, technology, financing, processing, storage, transportation and markets.
The Deputy Minister’s call comes amid growing efforts across Africa to strengthen domestic food production and reduce dependence on imported staples.
Rice remains a major component of diets across West Africa, making the development of a stronger regional rice value chain important not only for food security but also for employment, rural incomes and economic resilience.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Henry Musa Kpaka, stated West Africa can overcome its dependence on rice imports if countries treat the crop as a regional business opportunity rather than a collection of individual national challenges.
Dr Kpaka stated rice was too important a staple and too large an economic opportunity for countries in the region to continue approaching production in isolation.
He stated the regional approach was already gaining momentum through the ECOWAS Rice Offensive, under which efforts are underway to mobilise an initial $500 million for rice development across West Africa.
