AfricaRice Arise Project

Showcasing ARISE-PDRCC progress at “Unpacking the Pact for the Future” event in Accra, Ghana

Geoffrey Onaga recently had the honor of presenting the progress of the ARISE-PDRCC project at a high-level event jointly organized by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the University of Ghana in Accra. The event, themed “Unpacking the Pact for the Future,” occurred from July 2nd to 4th, 2025, and brought together prominent stakeholders from across Africa and Europe, including representatives from the European Union, the African Union, the President of Ghana, and former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.

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Spotlight on Food Security and Rice Production

The gathering emphasized critical regional priorities such as food security, sustainable energy, and environmental protection. Onaga’s presentation focused on the urgent need to boost rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa to meet the demands of a growing population. He highlighted the significant challenges faced by the rice sector, including climate change, disease pressure, and the resulting low yields across the continent.

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Addressing Rice Blast Disease in a Changing Climate

A central topic of Onaga’s talk was the threat of Rice Blast disease, its cycle, geographic distribution, and compounding impact on rice productivity, especially with the increasing incidence of drought and widespread use of nitrogen fertilizers. He detailed how the ARISE-PDRCC project is directly tackling these challenges by improving phenotyping for blast resistance and advancing O. glaberrima genome sequencing efforts. He shared notable project milestones, including the collaborative work with IRD and CIRAD on the phenotyping and sequencing of both resistant and susceptible accessions of O. glaberrima. These efforts have led to the identification of resistant accessions thriving even under drought stress. He also highlight ongoing activities, including de novo assembly of O. glaberrima genomes, with integration of six reference genomes from IRD, extraction and analysis of GWAS identified regions using an augmented genomic graph to discover new resistance genes or alleles, and transcriptome experiments exploring rice responses to blast infection under drought and high nitrogen conditions.

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He noted that the project aims to deliver a significantly improved O. glaberrima genome assembly (with fewer than nine contigs for half the genome, surpassing CG14v2) and expand knowledge of unique genetic variation in African rice. He also underscored the contribution of PhD students, who are actively engaged in hybridizing blast-resistant O. glaberrima with O. sativa. These efforts are expected to yield new breeding lines with introgressed resistance traits, potentially reducing reliance on pesticides and boosting productivity in blast-prone regions.

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Looking Ahead

The event provided an invaluable platform for sharing the ARISE-PDRCC project’s progress and for networking with key stakeholders committed to Africa’s scientific research transformation. The ARISE project remains dedicated to supporting innovative research and partnerships to drive sustainable rice production and improve food security in Africa​