Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for urgent investment in rice production, describing it as a strategic economic asset for West Africa in efforts to reduce heavy food import dependence and strengthen food security.

Speaking at the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra on Tuesday, June 2, she said scaling up rice production and transforming it into a commercially driven sector is critical to addressing the region’s growing demand and import burden.

According to her, boosting local rice production will enhance food security, create jobs, and reduce the region’s dependence on imports.

“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.

“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 stated.