The Pakistan Rice Road Show 2025, jointly organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Ivorian authorities, continued its West African tour with a high-profile stop in Abidjan on August 28–29, 2025, following a successful launch in Accra, Ghana earlier this week. The two-day event, held at the Novotel Hotel in Abidjan-Plateau under the theme “Connecting Markets, Ensuring Quality: Pakistani Rice for Côte d’Ivoire,” brought together government officials, trade representatives, private investors, and rice industry stakeholders from both countries.
The Abidjan chapter underscored Pakistan’s growing role as a strategic partner in West Africa’s food security agenda, while also highlighting the opportunities for South-South economic cooperation. Côte d’Ivoire, recognized as the largest economy in Francophone West Africa, serves as a natural gateway to regional markets due to its strategic geographic location and world-class port facilities. This advantage positions Abidjan as a key hub for the distribution of Pakistani rice across the subregion, at a time when Pakistan’s rice exports to Côte d’Ivoire already exceed 4,000 tonnes annually, capturing 5.99% of the local basmati rice market.
Addressing the gathering, H.E. Mahmood Akhtar Mahmood, Ambassador of Pakistan to Côte d’Ivoire, reaffirmed Pakistan’s vision of a durable and mutually beneficial agricultural partnership. He emphasized that Pakistan’s success in rice cultivation and export is part of a broader agricultural development strategy, one that prioritizes food security, innovation, and long-term cooperation with partner countries in Africa.
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In a video message from Islamabad, Federal Minister for Commerce Mr. Jam Kamal Khan praised the road show as a step toward diversifying Pakistan’s trade links and consolidating its commercial presence in West Africa. He reiterated that rice, one of Pakistan’s flagship export commodities, can serve as a foundation for broader agricultural and industrial collaboration. Echoing these sentiments, Mr. Ather Hussain, Director General of TDAP’s Agri-Food Division and head of the Pakistani delegation, delivered a presentation on Pakistan’s agricultural strengths, stressing quality assurance, global competitiveness, and export readiness.
From the Ivorian side, Hon. Mamadou Moctar Kangouté, Member of Parliament for Bouna, welcomed Pakistan’s initiative and called for a “win-win model of cooperation” based on local transformation of raw materials, skills transfer, and technology sharing. He underscored that food security remains a top priority for Côte d’Ivoire’s government and its people. Similarly, Mr. Aboubacar, Director of Value-Addition Support at the Rice Development Agency (ADERIZ), highlighted the country’s ambitious goal of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production, noting the importance of public-private partnerships, irrigation development, and attracting investment to strengthen domestic capabilities.
Participants on both sides agreed that the Pakistan Rice Road Show serves as a catalyst for strengthening the rice value chain, boosting bilateral trade, and promoting regional stability in rice supply. The event also encouraged networking between Pakistani exporters and Ivorian importers, laying the groundwork for future business-to-business partnerships and joint ventures.
Looking ahead, the West African tour will continue in Senegal on September 1–2, 2025, where similar events are planned to engage policymakers, industry leaders, and trade partners. The road show reflects Pakistan’s broader strategy of fostering equitable, sustainable, and innovation-driven trade relations across Africa, while helping partner countries like Côte d’Ivoire move closer to their food security and economic development goals.
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