The center runs regional research stations in Saint-Louis, Senegal and Ibadan, Nigeria with country offices in Cotonou, Benin and Antananarivo, Madagascar.

AfricaRice aims to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa through research for development.

AfricaRice, being part of the CGIAR system, shares resources with several of the other CGIAR organizations, including the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria.

In the course of reforms at the CGIAR, AfricaRice developed together with IRRI and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), which sets a global strategic research agenda for rice.

[3] One of AfricaRice's major tasks is developing and introducing new rice seed varieties suitable for African conditions.