Vice President advocates shift from imports to local rice production

Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged increased investment in rice production, describing it as a key strategic resource for West Africa in its bid to reduce reliance on food imports and strengthen regional food security.

Speaking at the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra on Tuesday, June 2, she stressed the need to expand rice production and develop it into a commercially viable industry capable of meeting the region’s rising demand and easing import pressures.

She explained that boosting local rice output would not only improve food security but also create employment opportunities and lessen West Africa’s dependence on imported food products.

“Despite our economic potential, Africa still spends more than $50 billion annually on food imports, with rice accounting for a significant share of that import bill. Rice has become one of the most consumed staple foods across West Africa. With demand rising rapidly, West Africa alone imports millions of tonnes of rice every year,” she said.

“The challenge before us is not just about growing more rice, but also about mobilising the scale of capital required to transform agriculture from a subsistence sector into commercial production, and from fragmented production into integrated value chains. West Africa must therefore see rice as a strategic economic asset,” she added.