Francophone Africa: Gov’t, Japanese partner train stakeholders on rice production best practices.

The five-day workshop organised by the Project for the Development of Irrigated and Rainfed Rice Farming by Reinforcing the Value Chain, PRODERIP-RCV, introduced by the government and supported by JICA, was launched in Yaounde Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

The workshop, which marks the seventh session of the training programme, was under the theme: “Increasing rice yields and quality through the value chain approach for Central African countries”. 

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MINADER, Prof Bambot Grace Annih, flagged off the training on behalf of Minister Gabriel Mbairobe. 

It was attended by the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Yaounde, Uehara Kenya, the outgoing Resident Representative of JICA in Cameroon, Kageyama Tadashi, and JICA’s incoming Resident Representative in Cameroon, Okumoto Masakatsu.

The training focuses among others on assessing the situation of rice cultivation across the nine participating nations viz; Mauritania, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Burundi and Cameroon. 

Focus is also on assessing the quality of rice produced in the various countries, the maintenance and production of rice seedlings, monitoring of overall rice production activities, ways to enhance production and post-production techniques as well as the techniques of packaging and marketing.

Government and JICA officials unanimously sounded upbeat to participants that the workshop will go a long way in boosting rice production across the various participating nations. 

Project central in Africa’s overall rice production vision

In her address, Prof Bambot Annih said the workshop will enhance the capacities of participating nations with knowledge required to drive forward the agenda of the 32-member Coalition for African Rice Development, CARD.

Launched during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama in 2008 by JICA in partnership with organisations like the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, she said CARD aims to ensure that Africa moves from producing 28 million tons of rice to producing 56 million tons of rice by the year 2030. 

Prof Bambot Annih said the first phase of the CARD project which ran between 2008 and 2018, was key in supporting member countries of the alliance in the development and implementation of their national rice development strategy and strengthening the capacity of all actors in the rice value chain. 

“I am convinced that the training and modules that will be carried out throughout these five days will contribute to strengthening the partnership between Africa and Japan in the framework of the CARD initiative and achieving the appropriate solutions to meet the expectations of 56 million tons of rice available by 2030,” Prof Bambot Annih stated.

The MINADER scribe said the Yaounde workshop will provide participants with the platform to acquire knowledge that will enable the various countries to tackle challenges facing the sector such as insufficient competitiveness in productive system due to the lack of high-quality plant material and the low level of mechanisation especially concerning land preparation and flood maintenance. 

She also mentioned significant post-harvest losses, insufficient rural equipment and infrastructure, climate changes in recent years, and low financing that has been registered in the sector. 

The challenges, she said, significantly contribute to reducing the performance of the agriculture sectors like rice which is seeking long-lasting solutions.

“Improving the living condition of populations in Central Africa and ensuring food security for the population inevitably requires the development of an efficient agricultural and rural sector, given the many advantages that Africa possesses,” she stated.

Enter Japanese officials 

The outgoing Resident Representative of JICA, Kageyama Tadashi, was optimistic that the training will help reduce existing deficiency in rice production in Central African countries compared to consumption and transform the sub-region into global rice production hub. 

“The production of rice in the Central African countries is totally deficient compared with the demand of the population. The quality also does not meet the international standards and consumers’ expectations. I expect that this workshop will contribute to the reinforcement of the capacity of participants,” he said.

The Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Yaounde, Uehara Kenya, express hopes that at the end of the workshop, participating countries will have the knowledge needed to transform their respective agriculture sectors and improve the living standards of citizens.

Uehara also express delight with strides recorded at the level of Cameroon in line with the project.

Stakeholders say training key improving production 

The National Coordinator of PRODERIP-RCV, Reginald Ze-Nkpwang, said the training is a key component of the PRODERIP-RCV project to assists producers through seed purification, provision of seeds and techniques needed to boost quality and reduce post-harvest losses.

One of the representatives of Congo Brazzaville, Guy Romain, said the workshop will add needed impetus to ongoing efforts to boost rice production in the Central African country.

He said Congo Brazzaville which has now partnered with JICA to do away with the challenges that are being faced in the rice production sector, currently produces some 2,000 tons of rice annually and imports 80,000 tons annually. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3681 of Thursday January 22, 2026