ECOWAS: UNECA organizes program to structure the rice value chain in West Africa

Over 150 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the West African rice sector took part on September 28 and 29, 2026, in a virtual rice value chain activation program, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), through its Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (UNECA/SRO-WA). The initiative relies on the West Africa Business Linkages Platform (WABLP), which brings together over 500 business support organizations and SMEs in ECOWAS member states, aligned with the organization's Regional Rice Program. Consultations revealed persistent hurdles: limited access to financing, weak business linkages, and insufficient processing capacities. Amadou Diouf, head of the Sub-Regional Initiatives Section at UNECA West Africa, indicated that the sessions are expected to produce "new business linkages between BSOs, SMEs, buyers, processors, and funders," letters of intent, and memoranda of understanding, with a 90-day follow-up. This program, the first phase of an approach intended to expand to other sectors, aims to reduce West Africa's dependence on rice imports and boost intra-regional trade under the AfCFTA.