The Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice) and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance rice productivity, strengthen food and nutrition security, and reduce poverty across Africa. 

The agreement combines AfricaRice’s breeding research and scientific development with AATF’s technology transfer network spanning 32 African nations.

Under the strategic partnership, both institutions will collaborate across the entire rice value chain to improve access to high-yielding hybrid rice varieties and promote sustainable agronomic practices. 

Joint activities will focus on quality seed multiplication and distribution, mechanisation to reduce manual drudgery, decision-support tools for optimised fertiliser and input application, and advanced post-harvest processing systems. 

Director General of AfricaRice, Dr Baboucarr Manneh, emphasised that integrating mechanised tools will improve processing efficiency, lower production labour costs, and elevate the market quality of locally milled rice.

The institutional framework aligns AfricaRice’s CGIAR research pipeline with AATF’s public-private partnership deployment model. 

Executive Director of AATF, Dr Canisius Kanangire, noted that population growth, climate variability, and productivity gaps require accelerated investment in agritech to turn African agriculture into an engine of economic growth. 

The alliance builds on financial momentum following $1.54 billion in investment pledges made at the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, positioning both organisations to accelerate progress toward continental rice self-sufficiency.

Source: AfricaRice