What AfricaRice does

AfricaRice (Africa Rice Center / Centre du Riz pour l'Afrique) is an intergovernmental association of 28 African member countries and a CGIAR Research Center, founded in 1971 as WARDA and renamed in 2011. Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, with a 700-hectare research complex at M'bé, the organization conducts rice research, develops improved varieties and digital tools, and supports seed systems and value chain improvement across 17+ African countries. Its portfolio spans improved germplasm (NERICA, WITA varieties), digital decision-support applications (RiceAdvice, WeedManager), post-harvest and agronomic technologies (GEM Parboiler, Smart-Valleys, ASI Thresher), and the world's largest genebank collection of African rice (Oryza glaberrima).

AfricaRice's business model is that of a non-profit, donor-funded research and implementation institution rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue flows from CGIAR system funding, bilateral donor grants (World Bank, African Development Bank, European Union, GIZ), and member-country contributions, with named flagship programs including AICCRA ($33M, World Bank, 2021-2025), REWARD ($8.5M, AfDB, 2026-2029), FSRP (World Bank), DeSIRA (EU), and CORIS (GIZ). The organization sells no commercial product; instead it distributes international public goods — varieties, tools, training, and platforms — through innovation platforms, rice hubs, farmer field schools, and prequalified seed enterprise networks, serving smallholder farmers, women and youth groups, national agricultural research systems (NCRI, IRAD, FOFIFA, FIFAMANOR), government ministries, and value-chain SMEs.

The center reaches over 310,000 farmers in Mali alone (72,000+ women) and claims impact of 8 million people lifted out of poverty and 7.2 million lifted out of food insecurity across 16 countries through NERICA adoption, with average per-capita income for adopters rising from US$25 to US$58. Recent strategic moves include the 2024 institutional restructuring into a Research and Implementation entity, the 2026 REWARD launch across 14 West African countries, the 2025 Aliko Dangote/Niger Food partnership targeting 500,000 Nigerian rice-sector jobs, and convening of the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable that secured $1.54 billion in pledges.

Name

AfricaRice

Legal name

Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)

Website

https://africarice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AfricaRice is a CGIAR-affiliated intergovernmental research center serving 28 African member countries; it develops improved rice varieties, digital advisory tools, and post-harvest technologies, and delivers them through donor-funded programs, seed enterprise networks, and innovation platforms to smallholder farmers, national research systems, and value-chain SMEs across Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research and Rice Development

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Rice research
• Crop variety development
• Agricultural breeding
• Rice seed systems
• Climate-smart agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Abidjan

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. CGIAR System Funding: As a CGIAR Research Center, AfricaRice receives core funding through the CGIAR system from various donors and development partners to support global agricultural research partnerships.
2. Development Program Grants: AfricaRice implements donor-funded programs such as the $8.5 million REWARD program funded by African Development Bank, AICCRA funded by World Bank, FSRP, DeSIRA funded by EU, and CORIS funded by GIZ.
3. Technical Services and Consultancy: AfricaRice provides technical expertise to governments, development partners, and national agricultural research systems through capacity building, training, and research collaboration agreements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AfricaRice is a pan-African intergovernmental research center that develops improved rice varieties (notably the NERICA and WITA lines), digital decision-support tools (RiceAdvice, WeedManager), post-harvest processing technologies (GEM Rice Parboiler), and lowland development approaches (Smart-Valleys), and delivers them as international public goods to smallholder farmers, national research systems, and value chain actors across 28 African member countries through development programs, innovation platforms, and capacity-building initiatives.

Product overview

AfricaRice is a pan-African rice research organization offering a portfolio of digital decision-support tools (RiceAdvice, WeedManager), processing technologies (GEM Rice Parboiler), agricultural development approaches (Smart-Valleys, Good Agronomic Practices), improved rice varieties (NERICA and WITA series), and research infrastructure (world-class genebank, Breeding Management System, Germplasm Health Unit). These offerings are accessible through its website and are complemented by capacity development programs and innovation platforms that connect smallholder farmers, national research systems, and private sector actors across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NERICA: New Rice for Africa (NERICA) - improved rice varieties developed by AfricaRice that have helped lift 8 million people out of poverty in Africa.
• RiceAdvice
• WeedManager
• Smart-valleys
• GEM Parboiler

Products and services

• RiceAdvice RiceAdvice is a digital decision-support tool that provides personalized advice on rice management practices, including crop calendar planning, rice variety selection, and fertilizer recommendations, helping smallholder rice farmers in Africa optimize inputs for their specific farming conditions; documented yield increase of 0.55 t/ha and profitability increase of US$250/ha in Nigeria.
• WeedManager WeedManager is a digital decision-support tool that helps African rice farmers identify the most effective and cost-efficient weed management strategies matching their specific farming conditions and available resources.
• GEM Rice Parboiler GEM (Grain quality enhancer, Energy-efficient and durable Material) is an improved rice parboiling technology developed by AfricaRice that produces quality rice, processes large quantities relatively quickly, is energy efficient, and is safer to operate than traditional methods; generates US$392 profit per ton of rice parboiled and reduces firewood expenditure from US$1.83 to US$0.64 per 100 kg of paddy.
• Smart-Valleys Approach Smart-Valleys is a lowland development and water management approach for rainfed rice-based systems in sub-Saharan Africa that enables producers to increase yield by 0.9 t/ha and net income by US$267/ha while helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change.
• Improved Rice Varieties (NERICA, WITA series) AfricaRice develops and promotes improved rice varieties including NERICA (New Rice for Africa) and WITA varieties adapted to diverse African agro-ecologies; NERICA adoption has lifted 8 million people out of poverty in 16 African countries and increased average per-capita income of adopters from US$25 to US$58.
• Breeding Management System (BMS) The Breeding Management System (BMS) is a comprehensive suite of software tools for crop breeding designed to help breeders manage breeding programmes efficiently, supporting germplasm management, field trials, and genotyping through BrAPI-standardized data exchange across institutional instances.
• Germplasm Health Unit (GHU) The Germplasm Health Unit (GHU) ensures the phytosanitary quality and safe exchange of rice germplasm, providing seed health testing and certification services to support safe international movement of rice genetic resources.
• Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) is a comprehensive framework of science-based rice farming recommendations covering land preparation, planting, crop management, and harvest practices, promoted by AfricaRice to enhance productivity and sustainability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 million people lifted out of poverty and 7.2 million out of food insecurity in 16 African countries through NERICA variety adoption
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ECOWAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECOWAS Commission co-organized the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable with Government of Ghana and World Bank, culminating in $1.54 billion in investment pledges.
• ICRISATmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly organized a five-day training workshop on Digital Sequence Information and genomic data integration at ICRISAT Headquarters in Hyderabad, India, as part of CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator initiative.
• Alliance of Bioversity International and CIATmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organizer of genomic data training workshop alongside ICRISAT and AfricaRice for scientists from 12 African and Asian countries.
• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for TAAT II Rice Compact in Ghana, scaling up improved rice technologies and strengthening local production systems alongside AfricaRice.
• National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) BadeggicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner15-year partnership with Nigeria's NCRI supporting the Bukansidi Rice Innovation Platform, transforming women farmers into agribusiness entrepreneurs.
• FOFIFAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMadagascar's national agricultural research institute collaborating on rice varietal improvement, developing FOFIFA 198 and VANIALA (FOFIFA 196) varieties under FSRP.
• FIFAMANORmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMadagascar national institute hosting Innovation Park for agricultural technologies and products expected to supply school feeding programs.
• CGIAR Centers (IITA, ILRI, CIP, ICRISAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive CGIAR Centers engaged with Madagascar government and World Bank to accelerate agricultural transformation, with AfricaRice leading on climate-smart rice varieties.
• INRAPE (Comoros)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComoros national agricultural research institute partnering on BRECOMA project to strengthen capacity of local rice farmers through Good Agricultural Practices.
• FAOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative publication on post-harvest management bridging gaps and embracing innovations, with case studies and recommendations for sustainable practices.
• Aliko Dangote/Niger FoodmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to create 500,000 jobs in Nigeria's rice sector, advancing Africa's rice self-sufficiency goals.
• Greenland Seeds CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate-sector partner showcasing certified climate-resilient rice seed varieties at the Rice Investment Roundtable.
• Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfricaRice actively participates in CARD's efforts to double Sub-Saharan Africa's rice production to 56 million tons by 2030.
• IRRI (International Rice Research Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGIAR sister organization collaborating with AfricaRice on rice research and development initiatives.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT: CGIAR Research Center delivering agricultural biodiversity and food system research, and a joint organizer of AfricaRice genomic training workshops. Comparable as a CGIAR peer delivering R&D and capacity building across the Global South with similar donor base.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations): UN specialized agency leading global food security and agricultural development, including collaborative publication with AfricaRice on post-harvest management. Comparable as a larger institutional actor in the same food-security mandate, with global convening authority and policy influence.
• CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center): CGIAR Research Center focused on maize and wheat improvement globally and in Africa. Comparable as a CGIAR sister institution pursuing breeding, seed systems, and climate-smart agriculture in similar low-income geographies, but not directly competing in rice.
• WorldFish: CGIAR Research Center focused on aquatic food systems, with growing engagement in African rice-fish integrated systems. Comparable as a CGIAR peer delivering R&D and capacity building on integrated food systems in similar geographies.
• IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute): CGIAR Research Center focused on food policy research. Comparable as a CGIAR sister center that complements AfricaRice's technical research with policy advisory work targeting the same donor base and African food-security agenda.
• ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute): CGIAR Research Center focused on livestock in developing countries, partnering with AfricaRice on the Madagascar FSRP program. Comparable as a fellow CGIAR center operating in African member countries with similar multi-donor funding model.
• IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture): CGIAR Research Center focused on tropical agriculture across Africa, partnering with AfricaRice on the FSRP program. Comparable as a fellow CGIAR center delivering R&D, variety development, and value chain programs to African smallholders, though with a broader crop mandate than rice-only.

Emerging players

• Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture: Non-profit foundation working on smallholder agriculture and seed systems in developing countries. Comparable as a non-profit working on variety dissemination, agronomy, and value chain development for African smallholders, though with private-sector sponsorship and a broader crop scope.

Direct peers

• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI): CGIAR sister center and the world's premier rice research institute, headquartered in the Philippines. Directly comparable as a CGIAR center focused exclusively on rice research, variety development, and capacity building across Asia and Africa — AfricaRice's mandate covers the African geographies that complement IRRI's global programs.
• ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics): CGIAR Research Center focused on dryland crops in semi-arid Africa and Asia, and an active AfricaRice partner (joint genomic training workshops). Comparable as a peer CGIAR center delivering crop improvement, seed systems, and capacity building to smallholder farmers across similar African geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/africarice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/africaricecenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaRiceCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/africarice
• Pinterestpinterest.com/africarice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-rice-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AfricaRice