By Agrifocus Africa Editorial Team

Access to quality agricultural seeds remains one of the most important factors influencing agricultural productivity and food security across Africa. Yet, despite significant progress in crop research and seed development, farmers and agricultural businesses in West Africa continue to face challenges moving certified seeds across national borders.

A crop variety approved for commercial production in one country may still encounter regulatory, administrative and technical barriers when introduced into another. This limits market opportunities for seed companies, restricts farmers’ access to improved crop varieties and slows the development of regional agricultural value chains.

Recognising these challenges, agricultural researchers, regulators, seed companies and development partners across West Africa are calling for stronger regional cooperation to accelerate the movement of agricultural seeds.

The objective is to build a more integrated seed industry where improved crop varieties can reach farmers across national boundaries, helping strengthen agricultural productivity, commercial opportunities and regional food security.

The issue featured prominently at a regional meeting organised on 20 August by the Centre of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), an initiative of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

More than 200 researchers, entrepreneurs, regulators and financial partners from seven countries participated in the discussions, which focused on addressing regulatory bottlenecks, improving seed production and strengthening private-sector participation.

The discussions highlighted an important shift in Africa’s agricultural development priorities: the challenge is no longer simply developing improved crop varieties, but ensuring that quality seeds can be produced, commercialised and distributed efficiently across regional markets.

Regional Seed Trade: Addressing Barriers to Cross-Border Movement

West Africa has made considerable progress in developing policies and regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate agricultural seed trade.

Since 2008, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has maintained a regional regulatory framework that provides for mutual recognition of certified seeds.

Under this arrangement, crop varieties included in a member country’s national catalogue can, in principle, gain recognition across the regional system, making cross-border commercialisation easier.

Cooperation was further extended through an agreement concluded in 2018 involving ECOWAS, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), covering 17 countries.

Despite these policy developments, implementation remains uneven.

Differences in national regulatory capacity, seed certification procedures, laboratory standards and administrative processes continue to slow the movement of seeds between countries.

Ousmane Ndoye, representing the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), highlighted differences in implementation capacity among countries, noting that some are more advanced than others.

He called for stronger technical training, increased production of early generation seeds and improvements to national seed laboratories to meet international standards.

Addressing these gaps will be essential to ensuring that regional seed regulations translate into practical commercial opportunities for seed producers and farmers.

Early Generation Seeds: A Critical Missing Link

One of the major constraints affecting seed availability in West Africa is the limited supply of early generation seeds.

These are the initial high-quality seeds produced under controlled conditions, generally by public agricultural research institutions, which seed companies use to multiply into certified seeds for commercial distribution.

When early generation seed production is insufficient, commercial seed companies struggle to produce enough certified seeds to meet farmers’ demand.

According to Ousmane Ndoye, shortages are particularly serious for some of the crop varieties most in demand.

Nigeria illustrates the extent of this challenge, with more than 90 per cent of early generation seed reportedly still coming from public research institutions.

This dependence highlights the importance of strengthening collaboration between agricultural research organisations and private seed companies.

Some businesses are already developing arrangements to improve supply reliability.

In Mali, seed company Faso Kaba has entered into multi-year agreements with national agricultural research institutions, enabling it to plan seed production up to five years ahead.

Such partnerships can improve production planning, strengthen supply consistency and help seed companies respond more effectively to market demand.

Expanding the availability of early generation seeds will therefore be critical to building a competitive and commercially sustainable regional seed industry.

Innovation Is Expanding Access to Improved Crop Varieties

Beyond conventional grain crops, advances in seed multiplication are also creating opportunities for crops such as cassava and yam.

Historically, many improved varieties of these crops struggled to reach farmers because of difficulties associated with producing sufficient planting materials for commercial distribution.

Rapid multiplication techniques are helping address this challenge by making it possible to produce larger quantities of planting materials within shorter periods.

Mercy Diebiru-Ojo, a specialist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and a 2025 Africa Food Prize laureate, highlighted the progress made in improving the availability of cassava and yam planting materials.

She noted that the sector had moved from a situation of scarcity towards greater availability.

These developments are particularly important because cassava and yam play significant roles in food security, rural livelihoods and agricultural trade across West Africa.

Improving access to quality planting materials can help farmers adopt better-performing varieties, strengthen production systems and create opportunities for agricultural businesses involved in multiplication and distribution.

However, ensuring that these innovations reach farmers at affordable prices and in sufficient quantities remains essential.

Private Investment: Financing the Future of the Seed Industry

Building a stronger regional seed industry will require more than improved regulations and agricultural research. It will also depend on the availability of financing to support commercial production, processing, storage and distribution.

Financial partners participating in the regional discussions emphasised the need to increase private-sector investment.

Martin Fregene, director of agriculture and agro-industry at the African Development Bank, argued that additional financing should prioritise private enterprises through affordable lending arrangements and appropriate repayment periods.

Hermann Messan, country director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Côte d’Ivoire, also emphasised the complementary roles of government, research institutions and entrepreneurs.

His position reflected a central principle for agricultural industry development: governments establish the regulatory environment, research institutions generate improved technologies and entrepreneurs build businesses that take these innovations to market.

For seed companies, access to affordable long-term financing can support investments in seed processing facilities, storage infrastructure, quality assurance systems, distribution networks and commercial multiplication.

It can also help smaller enterprises expand operations and reach farmers in underserved markets.

Financial institutions and development partners therefore have an important role in creating investment conditions that allow seed businesses to grow while maintaining affordability and quality.

Two Decades of Progress in African Seed Development

West Africa’s efforts to strengthen regional seed trade build on significant investments made in agricultural research and seed system development over the past two decades.

Figures presented by CESSA indicate that more than 650 scientists have received training, while over 685 crop varieties have been released.

Approximately 60 per cent of these varieties have reportedly been commercialised.

The initiative has also supported around 100 seed companies, while adoption of improved crop varieties has increased from approximately 6 per cent to more than 30 per cent.

These developments demonstrate the growing contribution of agricultural research, entrepreneurship and institutional collaboration to the region’s seed industry.

Several companies illustrate the commercial opportunities emerging from this progress.

In Ghana, Antika Company reported increasing its annual seed production from fewer than 27 tonnes to approximately 3,000 tonnes.

In Burkina Faso, NAFASO, established in 2008 with an initial production capacity of about 100 tonnes, now reports a capacity of approximately 6,000 tonnes and supplies markets across several West African countries.

These examples highlight the potential of local seed enterprises to expand production, create employment and strengthen regional agricultural trade.

However, the expansion of commercial seed production also raises questions about crop diversity and the types of varieties receiving investment and research attention.

Some African civil society organisations have expressed concern that existing seed development approaches may prioritise a limited number of commercial crops at the expense of broader agricultural biodiversity.

Balancing commercial seed production with the conservation and development of diverse crop varieties will therefore remain important for building resilient food systems.

Why Regional Seed Trade Matters for Africa’s Food Security

The ability to move quality seeds across borders has implications that extend beyond the seed industry.

Farmers depend on timely access to suitable planting materials to improve yields, respond to changing climatic conditions and maintain reliable agricultural production.

When seed markets are fragmented by regulatory barriers and limited commercial networks, farmers may struggle to access improved varieties even when those varieties are available in neighbouring countries.

More integrated regional markets can help address this problem by expanding distribution networks, improving supply availability and creating greater commercial opportunities for seed companies.

For agricultural businesses, harmonised regulations can reduce administrative obstacles and make it easier to serve multiple national markets.

For farmers, improved access to quality seeds can create opportunities to adopt better-performing varieties suited to local growing conditions.

Regional seed trade can also support food security by strengthening the availability of planting materials across different agricultural production zones.

However, the benefits depend on effective quality control, appropriate variety selection, affordable pricing and reliable distribution systems.

Regulatory harmonisation should therefore be accompanied by stronger national certification institutions, effective seed testing laboratories and mechanisms to prevent the circulation of counterfeit or poor-quality seeds.

Taking the Seed Industry Beyond National Borders

For Natasha Kofoworola Quist, AGRA’s regional director for West Africa, the region already has many of the resources required to build a stronger seed industry.

The challenge is connecting researchers, institutions, entrepreneurs, farmers and markets more effectively.

Her message that seeds do not recognise language barriers reflects the importance of building an integrated regional agricultural system.

West Africa has developed research capacity, improved crop varieties and a growing network of commercial seed enterprises. The next priority is ensuring that these achievements translate into wider regional market access.

This will require stronger collaboration between governments, agricultural research organisations, regulatory institutions, financial partners and private seed companies.

It will also require sustained investment in early generation seed production, improved laboratory infrastructure, technical skills development and commercial distribution networks.

The discussions organised by CESSA highlight the importance of moving from isolated national achievements towards a more connected regional seed industry.

Building a Stronger Foundation for African Agriculture

West Africa’s efforts to accelerate regional seed trade reflect a broader challenge facing African agriculture: translating research, innovation and policy commitments into practical solutions that reach farmers.

Improved crop varieties can only contribute meaningfully to agricultural transformation when farmers can access quality planting materials at the right time, at affordable prices and through reliable distribution channels.

This requires effective regulation, sustainable financing, stronger private-sector participation and continued investment in agricultural research.

The progress made over the past two decades provides an important foundation. However, the next phase will depend on how effectively countries implement existing agreements and create opportunities for seed enterprises to operate across regional markets.

For Africa, strengthening seed systems is not simply about increasing the volume of seeds produced. It is about building resilient agricultural value chains that support farmers, encourage agribusiness investment, protect crop diversity and improve food security.

A more connected African seed industry could become a powerful driver of agricultural productivity, regional trade and long-term food security.