The African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group, has approved a $9.44 million grant to the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to strengthen climate resilience in rice value chains across 13 West African countries.
The funding, approved on 17 July 2025, comes through ADF’s Climate Action Window and will support rice farmers and processors in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The initiative forms part of the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), specifically its climate adaptation pillar (REWARD-Adaptation). It aims to scale up climate-smart agriculture across the region, helping farmers better adapt to changing weather patterns while cutting emissions and improving food security.
“This project is designed to reduce the vulnerability of rice farmers and processors while lowering greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of climate-smart practices and technologies,” said Marwan Ladki, Senior Irrigation Engineer at the African Development Bank.
The project will distribute climate-resilient rice seeds to over 11,000 farmers, including 4,950 women and 6,600 youth, while also training 12,600 farmers and processors on sustainable practices.
Additionally, it will support 65 SMEs with access to modern equipment and business networks, and deploy climate information services and early warning systems, reaching 2 million people via digital platforms and radio
It will also support the installation of 4 automatic weather stations per country to improve real-time climate data and forecasting
The project is expected to generate 47,000 jobs, including 8,000 permanent and 39,000 seasonal positions, boosting rural economies and building resilience in a region heavily affected by climate change.
