The United Kingdom (UK) government has invested £450 000 in Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Rice Observatory to reduce dependency on imported rice, ease food insecurity, support trade, and create jobs.
In Ghana, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia/Ukraine war have exacerbated the challenges of climate change, including energy, financial, and food security.
The UK, Ghana, ECOWAS, and many other partners are working together to ensure that Ghana is playing its role in the West Africa region to produce more rice, facilitate trade, and reduce costs to the consumer.
“Through the Africa Food Trade and Resilience programme, the UK government alongside strategic partners is investing £450,000 to establish the ECOWAS Rice Observatory and its national chapter, known as the ‘Ghana Competitive Africa Rice Platform’,” the British High Commission in Ghana said in a statement Friday.
“This new public-private sector platform will identify and spur reforms to increase investment into the ECOWAS rice value chain.”
The embassy said the support for Ghana and other ECOWAS countries will; reduce the £2.6 billion annual cost of importing rice to West Africa, and potentially create more than 385 000 new jobs in the rice value chain across West Africa.
British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson added: “The numbers speak for themselves: there is so much potential for growing the rice sector here in Ghana and across West Africa.
“The ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO) will support the growth of the rice industry and increase trade and investment opportunities in the market.”
“At a time when many countries around the world are facing food insecurity as a result of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, I am confident this project will strengthen the food system here in Ghana and across the region, now and in the future.”
The ERO provides a platform for rice stakeholders to understand patterns of demand and production, seize trade, investment, and reform opportunities, understand the impacts of climate change, and work towards resilient food security in the future.
The UK government is also working with international partners to secure finance to respond to the global food crisis driven by climate change, and Covid-19.
