Picture 1: From left to right: Dr. Boladade Adebowale, ECOWAS Rice Agenda Coordinator, Dr. Baboucarr Manneh, Director General of AfricaRice, and Dr. Eklou Attiogbevi-Somado, Regional Manager for Agriculture & Agro-Industry in West Africa at the AfDB. (Credit: A. Diomandé/AfricaRice) Bouake, Côte d’Ivoire – 10 February 2026 The African Development Bank (AfDB) in partnership with the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), the and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)