Online, 28 September 2026 (ECA) - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its Subregional Office for West Africa (ECA/SRO-WA), has brought together Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from across West Africa for a two-day Rice Value Chain Activation Programme, taking place virtually on 28–29 September 2026. The initiative, implemented under the West Africa Business Linkages Platform (WABLP) and aligned with the ECOWAS Regional Rice Programme, seeks to translate evidence and analysis into concrete commercial partnerships, stronger regional value chains and increased intra-regional trade in rice.
Building on recent ECA analytical work, including the Assessment of the Rice and Cocoa Value Chains between Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and the Impact of the War in Iran on West Africa, ECA has engaged more than 150 SMEs operating across the rice sector to better understand their constraints, market opportunities and support needs.The consultations have highlighted persistent barriers to the development of competitive regional rice value chains, particularly limited access to finance, market linkages, processing capacity and cross-border trade opportunities.
This rice activation programme is grounded in strong evidence and responds to growing calls for reduced
dependence on food imports, stronger and more sustainable regional value chains, enhanced intra-African trade, and greater economic diversification. This Market Access Activation aims to activate WABLP's network into structured rice value chain opportunities, strengthening intra-regional trade, Business Support Organisation (BSO) and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) market access across West Africa.
Amadou Diouf, Chief of the Sub-Regional Initiatives Section, ECA West Africa — speaking on behalf of Ngone Diop, Director of ECA/SRO-WA. "The 28–29 September sessions are designed to generate tangible business outcomes, including new commercial linkages among BSOs, SMEs, buyers, processors and finance providers; Letters of Intent, Memorandum of Understanding and other commercial agreements; and stronger BSO capacity to facilitate SME market access and cross-border trade. The programme will also strengthen participants' understanding of AfCFTA market opportunities, regional policy frameworks and rice value chain opportunities, while establishing a 90-day follow-up mechanism to help translate discussions intoconcrete actions and partnerships."
The WABLP, an ECA/SRO-WA initiative, brings together a network of more than 500 BSOs and SMEs across ECOWAS member states. The rice programme is the first in a broader value-chain activation approach designed to strengthen enterprise linkages and regional value-chain integration.
By connecting enterprises across borders and facilitating practical market opportunities, the initiative seeks to contribute over the medium and longer term to reducing West Africa's dependence on external sources of rice, strengthening intraregional trade and enhancing the resilience of regional food systems.
The programme also demonstrates ECA's commitment to supporting the implementation of regional priorities, including AfCFTA and ECOWAS frameworks, by bringing regional economic analysis closer to businesses and translating evidence into practical opportunities for private-sector engagement.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org