History and Current
Organizational Structure
of AfricaRice
Dr Harold Roy-Macauley
Director General

Presentation Layout
• Genesis
• Some historical events
• Current Organizational Structure and
functions
• Conclusion

Genesis
• 1971 – Founding of West Africa Rice Development Association
(WARDA)
- Autonomous Intergovernmental Research Association
- Founding Constitution signed by 11 African countries
• Mission
- To bridge the gap between rice production and consumption
• Organizational structure
- Governing Council
- Scientific & Technical Committee (STC)
- Executive Secretariat
- Headquarter - Monrovia Liberia
- 3 Departments: Admin& Fin; Res. & Develop.; Training, Com. & Doc.
- Regional Coordinating Offices

History
• Shortcomings - structure, research programs, fulfilling financial
obligations, gap between rice supply and demand
• Re-evaluation of WARDA structure, strategy, programs (TAC, 1983)
• 1986: Reforms - WARDA becomes a CGIAR Center
– Constitution amended
– Dual Status: Intergovernmental organization + CGIAR (unique)
– Executive Secretary transformed to Director General (internationally
recruited from WARDA countries)
– Governing Council transformed to Council of Ministers
– STC replaced by Board of Trustees

History – major events (1)
• June 1987: Meeting of Council of Ministers in Liberia – 1st DG appointed
• May 1988: Installation of WARDA in Cote d’Ivoire (M’bé)
• 1988/89: Approval of 1990-2000 Strategy and 1990-1994 MTP
– New Program structure – Upland/Inland Swamp Continuum (Mbe); lowland rice
breeding (IITA, Ibadan); Irrigated Sahel (St Louis); Mangrove (Rokupr)
• 1993: Expanded mission
– To contribute to food security and poverty alleviation in poor rural and urban
populations, particularly in West and Central Africa, through research,
partnerships, capacity strengthening and policy support on rice-based systems,
and in ways that promote sustainable agricultural development based on
environmentally sound management of natural resources”

History – major events (2)
• 2000: Creation of New Rice for Africa (NERICA)
– Oryza. glaberrima (African rice) x O. sativa (Asian rice) – interspecific hybrid (plant
tissue culture technique embryo-rescue crosses survive and grow to maturity)
– Heterosis - improve quality of both parents
– Major scientific breakthrough that won numerous awards including World Food
Prize in 2004)
• 2002: Crises in Côte d’Ivoire
– 2002: Management moves to Abidjan and Research to Samanko, Mali
– 2004: Management joins Research in Samanko, Mali
– 2005 (Jan): Management and Research move to temporary headquarters in
Cotonou, Benin
• 2003 – 2009: Name change
– Africa Rice Center (WARDA) – Cotonou, Benin (Council Meeting, 2003)
– Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) – Lome, Togo (Council Meeting, 2009)

Council of Ministers
Board of Trustees
Director General
DDG
Services attached to the DG
- Legal
- Internal Audit
- Resource Mobilization
- Strategic Support (Special Adviser and Media
Officer)
Services attached to the DDG
- Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
- Knowledge Management
- Impact Assessment
- Risk Management
DCS Support Unit
- Finance, Planning &
Budget
- Facilities/Operations
- Human Resources
- Procurement/Supplies
- Security
DR4D
PROGRAMS
PROJECTS
DPC DCS
Support Unit
- Biometry
- GIS
Representations
- Regional
- Country
DPC Support Unit
- Marketing & Communications
- Capacity Development
- Information & Communication
Technology
- Conventions & Grants
Current
Organizational
Structure

Director General
• Appointed by COM upon nomination by BoT
• Secretary to the COM
• Reports to Board of Trustees and Ex-officio member of BoT
• Appoints, contracts, and supervises all staff of the Center
• Ensures delivery on strategic trajectory of Center
• Major roles: Advocacy, Resource Mobilization, Coordination and
facilitation; and Provision of support to CGIAR system organization

Strategic Plan 2011 – 2020: Boost Africa’s
rice sector – increase rice productivity and
competitiveness in sub-Saharan Africa.
Vision: increase rice self-sufficiency ratio
to almost 90% in 2020 (compared to 60%
in 2010) leading to a reduction in imports
of about 5Mt per year-
September 2011: Approval of plan by the
AfricaRice Council of Ministers
Implementation: AfricaRice and different
categories of stakeholders across the
research to development continuum.
Research for Development Division

Approach: Rice Value Chains
Products &
Services:
Suitability,
Reliability,
Affordability…
Partnerships /
MSPs:
Trust,
Win-Win,
Equity…

Approach : Global Rice Science Partnership
An evolving alliance of IRRI, AfricaRice & CIAT
with Cirad, IRD, JIRCAS and hundreds of research and
development partners worldwide
Irrigated
Rainfed lowland
Rainfed upland
Each dot represents
5,000 ha of rice

Approach Science for Impact

Global
National
District, province
GRiSP
enabling
actions
GRiSP
products &
services
Action sites (Hubs)

Genetic Diversity and Improvement Program (16 IRS + 80
GSS)
Surveys

Sustainable Productivity Enhancement Program (15 IRS + 35
GSS)
Surveys

Policy, innovation systems and impact assessment
Program (6 IRS + 8 GSS)

SMART-Valleys demonstration site near Zoungo in the
Commune de Ouinhi, southern Benin
3rd year of development activities and....
...massive adoption of the Smart-valleys development approach
across Togo and Benin!
Rice Sector Development Program (13 IRS + 8 GSS)

Corporate Services Division
Functions
• Provide overall assistance to research activities
• Manages the long term sustainability of the Center
• Manages physical, human and financial resources
• Provides the best possible services and control
mechanisms at international standards

Units and functions
• Finance: Manages financial aspects
(Accounting and Planning and Budgeting)
• Human Resources : Assists in the
management of staff
• Operations and Facilities: Provides support
service to facilitate implementation of activities
• Security: Designs measures for protecting
human and material assets

Division of Strategic Partnerships
Director,
Strategic Partnerships
Regional / Country
Representatives
Senegal ESA --
Tanzania
Nigeria
Sierra
Leone
Liberia Benin
Madagascar
Capacity
Development
Marketing/
Comm.
ICT
Conventions
and Grants
Units
Principal Admin
Assistant
Secretary

(M’BE VALLEE)
(DAR-ES-SALAAM)
(COTONOU)
IBADAN ST LOUIS
AfricaRice
HQ
AfricaRice HQ & Out-Stations
St Louis, Senegal
Ibadan, Nigeria
M’Be Côte d’Ivoire Cotonou, Benin
Dar es Salam, Tanzania

Strategic Partnerships Functions
• Formalize, structure, institutionalize and consolidate
Center’s partnerships
• Develop & implement Center’s partnership strategy
• Category of partners - NARIs; ARIs; CGIAR Centers;
NGOs; Farmer Groups; Private Sector; Development
Organizations; Civil Society; Regional Economic
Communities; Universities; Continental, Regional
and Sub-regional ag research and development
organizations; Donors

• Dual nature of AfricaRice
- Opportunity to position rice science in
African political agenda
- Opportunity for Africa rice sector to
benefit from global rice science
Conclusions

• Consolidate decentralization to ensure sustainability of research
and uptake of its products
• Complete relocation process from Cotonou to Côte d’Ivoire
• Establish mechanisms for sustainable funding of AfricaRice
activities - Public- Private Partnership
• Translate research into use – market oriented research
stewardship
• Out-scaling research products – Hubs & innovation platforms,
client database, LOAs with major development partners from
public and private sector
Perspectives

Thank you!