H.E. Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck addressing the AfricaRice staff

During his first visit to AfricaRice administrative headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 11-13 November 2016, in his capacity as the new Chair of AfricaRice Council of Ministers, Senegal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment H.E. Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, stated that AfricaRice has a historic responsibility to help its member countries achieve rice self-sufficiency.

In August 2016, Senegal took over the chairmanship of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers, which is the supreme governing body of AfricaRice. The Center is an intergovernmental association of 26 African member countries. It is also a CGIAR Research Center – part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

The main objective of Dr Seck’s visit to AfricaRice was to participate in the handover ceremony, where he received documents relating to the chairmanship. Extending a warm welcome to him, AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley said, “This is a great honor for AfricaRice as it is not customary for the Chair of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers to visit, but this shows Dr Seck’s special bond with the Center.”