Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for stronger investment in agriculture and resilient food systems to address rising food prices and improve food security across West Africa.

Speaking at the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable under the theme “Mobilising Transformational Capital to Support West Africa’s Rice Agenda,” the Vice President noted that countries in the region continue to face economic pressures from imported inflation, supply chain disruptions and exchange rate volatility, all of which have significant implications for food prices.

According to her, building resilient food systems, accelerating agricultural industrialisation and strengthening regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are critical to reducing the region’s dependence on food imports.

"Ghana has experienced imported inflation, supply chain challenges and exchange rate volatilities which affect food prices. Within these challenges, we have to build resilient food systems, industrialise agriculture and strengthen regional trade under the AfCFTA," Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said.

She stressed the need for increased investment in rice production and value addition to help West African countries meet growing demand while creating jobs and improving livelihoods.

The Vice President further urged governments, development partners and private investors to mobilise transformational capital to support the region’s rice sector, describing it as essential for achieving food self-sufficiency and economic growth.

The roundtable brought together policymakers, investors, development finance institutions and industry players to explore strategies for unlocking investment and accelerating the growth of West Africa’s rice value chain.