The 5th Seminar on China-Africa Rice Value Chain Cooperation

West Africa Rice Value Chain Project Review Meeting

Background

Since 2021, the World Food Programme Rural Development Excellence Centre, in partnership with UNOSSC, China International Economic and Technical Exchange Center, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and the International Cooperation Department of China National Grain and Strategic Reserves Administration, has successfully held four consecutive China-Africa Rice Value Chain Seminars to create an enabling platform linking stakeholders from both China and Africa. In June 2021, the first Seminar on China-Africa Rice Value Chain Enhancement was organized in Shaoxing. In September 2022, the second Seminar on China-Africa Rice Value Chain with a technical focus on rice processing, storage and quality control was held in Jiaxing. In June 2023, the third Seminar took place in Wuxi. In 2024, the Seminar was focusing on inclusive partnership and innovative financing support. Through South-South Cooperation dialogues, the Seminar facilitated experience exchange and expertise sharing on national food security and agricultural development for innovative solutions and good practices on rice value chain development.

Since 2021, WFP China COE has joined hands with the Regional Center of Excellence against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM) to facilitate knowledge sharing and resource mobilization on rice value chain development. In March 2021, WFP China COE and CERFAM launched the China Africa Rice Value Chain Development Project in C?te d'Ivoire with support from UNOSSC. The project achievements in C?te d'Ivoire resulted in further funding from the Gates Foundation for the China-Africa Rice Value Chain Initiative, enabling WFP China COE and CERFAM to scale up support for rice value chains in West Africa, mainly in C?te d'Ivoire and Guinea, further promoting country-level engagement.

These events and initiatives have effectively promoted technology exchange and cooperation between China and Africa in the rice industry. In the context of global food security challenges, further strengthening China-Africa rice value chain cooperation is of great significance for improving the rice production capacity of African countries and ensuring food security.

The policy dialogue further motivated more resources to support technical cooperation and ground initiatives. It has been translated grass grass-level support by South-South Cooperation partners including the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, Gates Foundation and CICETE, among others.

In view of this, the 5th China-Africa Rice Value Chain Seminar is planned to be held from 17 to 19 June 2025 to consolidate and expand the existing cooperation results. The West Africa Rice Value Chain Project Review Meeting to be held on 17 June 2025 is a part of the Rice Value Chain Initiative implemented by WFP China COE and funded by the Gates Foundation and UNOSSC through the Global SSC Development Initiative as a tool to facilitate policy dialogue and exchanges.

Rationale

Africa’s rice sector remains dominated by smallholder farmers who, despite their critical role, face persistent barriers such as limited access to high-quality seeds, farming techniques, and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure and process techniques, as well as enabling conditions to enhance farmer access to market. These challenges are compounded by climate variability and underdeveloped market systems, which stifle productivity and income growth.

China’s experience presents a compelling model. Through strategic investments in research, mechanization, and value chain development, China has not only achieved food security but also emerged as a global leader in rice production.

This initiative seeks to bridge these gaps by fostering China-Africa collaboration in rice value chain development, leveraging China’s expertise to enhance Africa’s food security, smallholder incomes, and sustainable agricultural growth.

Moreover, this initiative aligns with broader development agendas, including China’s Global Development Initiative, the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the WFP’s Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) strategy. By integrating these priorities, the initiative can create a cohesive framework for sustainable agricultural progress.

Objectives

This Seminar, in its already four successive editions, serves as a pivotal platform for linking partners and motivating pathways to enhance cooperation along the rice value chain. Through South-South Cooperation, it aims to establish an inclusive platform for all stakeholders relevant to China-Africa Rice Value Chain.

The fifth session of the Seminar on China-Rice Value Chain aims to

· Deepen China-Africa agricultural cooperation and promote the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

· Share technical innovation and achievements on rice value chain, enhance the capacity of African countries to address food security challenges.

· Explore new models of China-Africa rice value chain cooperation and promote the sustainable development of agriculture on both sides.

· Strengthen technology and experience exchange in the rice value chain between China and Africa and improve the rice production and processing level of African countries.

· During the seminar, dedicated sessions will be held to review the success and lesson learned from the West Africa Rice Value Chain Project.

Event arrangement

1)  Event Format

The Seminar will be organised in a hybrid format to accommodate offline and online participation. In-house discussion will be conducted for one and a half days. A half-day field visit will be included.

A review meeting of the West Africa Rice Value Chain Project will be held on 17 June as part of the seminar.

2)  Language

Chinese/English/French simultaneous interpretation will be provided.

3)  Participants 

Participants include government agencies, UN agencies, academia, NGOs, and enterprises.

Embassies of African countries in Beijing including Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, etc. will be invited to attend the meeting.

Representatives from relevant UN Agencies will be invited to the event.

International financial institutes (IFIs), such as China Development Bank, Import & Export Bank, Africa Development Bank, World Bank, China Agricultural Development Bank, New Development Bank, Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, will be invited. Private sectors that have been active in investing Africa in agriculture (eg, private sectors related to China-Africa Business Council) and local NGOs working on rice production, harvest, processing, marketing and trade, and other relevant areas will be invited.

Expected Outcomes

Insights and advice on investing in Africa on rice value chain will be collected. Potential to link/match the right partners for pragmatic collaboration on rice value chain enhancement will be explored. Further actions will be taken to follow up and concretize valuable initiatives out of the meeting discussion.

Presentations of the Seminar will feed the WFP-China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform and Cloud School courses. Relevant knowledge products including experts’ presentations and reference materials will be shared with participants after the event.