Guinea fonio

Guinea produces more than 75% of the world's fonio. This ancient West African grain is naturally gluten-free, rich in nutrients, and increasingly attracting interest from Dutch and European consumers looking for healthy, sustainable, and innovative food products.

Despite this strong production base, much of the value created from fonio has historically remained outside Guinea. Processors in neighbouring countries often clean, package, and export the grain, while Guinean farmers and women processors receive only a small share of the benefits.

CBI partners with SMEs, women processors, producer groups, and sector stakeholders to change this. Together, they improve quality, strengthen their export readiness, build stronger value chain relationships, and increase awareness of Guinean fonio in European markets.

Fonio was approved for sale in the European Union (EU) as a novel food in 2018 and demand still grows. Through initiatives such as the Fonio Collective, CBI connects producers, importers, retailers, and food professionals to help build a stronger market for Guinean fonio.

Are you a buyer, importer, retailer, or food professional interested in sourcing innovative and sustainable food products? We would appreciate hearing from you.

Project purpose 

Fonio is one of the oldest cultivated grains in West Africa and plays an important role in food security and rural livelihoods in Guinea. Thousands of farming households depend on fonio production for income, while women’s groups are heavily involved in processing activities.

Despite being the world's largest producer, Guinea has strong potential to capture a much larger share of the value generated by the fonio sector. While much of the grain has usually been exported for processing elsewhere, Guinean producers and processors are stepping up to expand their bargaining power and access to higher-value markets.

To successfully scale their operations and meet growing demand, businesses in the sector are focusing on several key areas for growth:

• Boosting mechanisation: Adopting modern tools to reduce heavy manual labour in production and processing.
• Strengthening bargaining power and improving returns for producers and women processors.
• Improving quality by upgrading processing standards and managing quality control to eliminate contamination risks.
• Improving access to finance, business services, and market information;
• Building strong networks by creating quality value chain collaborations and sector coordination;
• Raising awareness and growing brand recognition among European consumers and buyers.

The sector offers significant opportunities. Fonio is increasingly recognised internationally as a climate-resilient crop with strong nutritional credentials. Demand is growing among consumers who are interested in gluten-free, organic, and healthy food products. Dutch and European buyers are more often looking for products that offer traceability, food safety, sustainability, and a compelling origin story.

Guinea therefore has a unique opportunity not only to remain the world's largest producer of fonio, but also to become a recognised supplier of high-quality fonio products.

CBI’s project focuses on 4 interconnected areas:

• Increasing demand for high-quality Guinean fonio in Dutch and European markets
• Improving the economic position of producers and women processors through more sustainable and inclusive business models
• Strengthening access to support services, including finance, quality management, certification, and business development services
• Supporting sector organisation and collaboration through a shared sector vision, quality standards, and stronger governance structures.

Important progress has already been made. European market actors united to establish the Fonio Collective and stakeholders formalised the Interprofession du Fonio de Guinée as the official sector association. Furthermore, Guinea launched its National Fonio Standard in 2026. Participating SMEs have actively strengthened their quality management, hygiene practices, financial management, and export readiness.
As the project moves towards completion in 2026, CBI is focused on consolidating these achievements and ensuring that the structures and partnerships created can continue supporting the sector's growth.

Become a partner 

Are you interested in fonio? We seek partners who want to collaborate in building a more sustainable sector, with fair jobs, and better access to European markets. We aim to connect with:

• European importers and buyers who are open to sourcing fonio from Guinea and building direct relationships with Guinean exporters. Getting involved now means helping shape a growing supply chain while building direct sourcing relationships in the world's largest fonio-producing country.
• Retailers and food service companies who want to list fonio or experiment with it in their product range. The Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom are markets with growing interest, and fonio fits well in the gluten-free and health food categories already established in Dutch retail.
• Food professionals, chefs, and influencers who can help tell the story of fonio and introduce it to new audiences. Consumer awareness is the main issue right now, and creative voices make a real difference.
• Organisations already working in Guinea’s agricultural or food sector who see opportunities to connect their work to the fonio value chain.

What does a partnership with CBI look like? 

CBI does not provide funding. We offer connection and coordination.

If you are a buyer or importer, we can introduce you to Guinean exporters and processors who are actively working on their quality and reliability. You gain access to a new origin with real supply potential, and the companies on the ground get honest market feedback that helps them develop. As the project comes to a close, ongoing connections will increasingly run through the Fonio Collective - connect with them on  LinkedIn and Instagram to stay informed.

Through the Fonio Collective, buyers can also connect with other European market actors working to increase awareness, improve market access, and strengthen the commercial position of Guinean fonio in Europe.

If you are a retailer or food professional, we can share what we know about the product, the supply chain, and the sector. We can also connect you to others in the fonio community who are working on promotion, recipes, and product development.

Partners

As the project is nearing its end, we are no longer establishing new partnerships. But if you work in food importing, retail, or food service and are curious about fonio as a new ingredient or product category, we can share information or make relevant connections.

Following the project, 2 main organisations will maintain momentum: the Fonio Collective for market promotion between EU importers and Guinean SMEs, and the Interprofession du Fonio de Guinée for ongoing sector coordination.

Current partners include national and international organisations working to strengthen Guinea's fonio sector:

• Bureau de Stratégie et Développement, Ministry of Agriculture
• Guinea Development Board (formerly AGUIPEX)
• Interprofession du Fonio de Guinée
• Institut Guinéen de Normalisation et de Métrologie (IGNM)
• Producer organisations and women’s processing groups across the fonio value chain
• Slow Food Youth Network Netherlands (SFYN)
• TRANSFORM Programme (implemented by ITC and funded by the European Union)
• World Bank – PDACG Programme

Collaborate with us

Would you like to help connect Guinea’s fonio to European markets and the people who could benefit from it most?

Click the button below to express your interest. For questions or more information, please contact Femke Dekker. We would appreciate hearing from you.

Reach out now

About CBI

CBI promotes sustainable production and trade between low-and middle-income countries and the Netherlands and Europe. We partner with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their ecosystem to strengthen their social and environmental sustainability. CBI is part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.