This 7 months Project Initiation Plan aims to lay the groundwork for a full-fledged UNDP/IsDB initiative entitled “Empowering West African Women Small and Medium Enterprises in Rice Value Chains (EWASME) 2022-2025 in Guinea, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone”, which has been funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) to a tune of USD 11.5 million. The EWASME programme builds on and effective links with the existing Regional Rice Value Chain Programme (RRVCP), which is already contributing to the transformation of rice production in select West African countries.