Africa is a drought-prone continent, making farming risky for millions of small-scale farmers who rely on rainfall to water their crops. Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa – more than 300 million Africans depend on it as their main food source – and it is severely aff ected by frequent drought. Drought leads to crop failure, hunger, and poverty. Climate change will only worsen the problem. Drought tolerance has been recognised as one of the most important targets of crop improvement programs, and biotechnology has been identifi ed as a powerful tool to achieve signifi cant drought tolerance by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Identifying ways to mitigate drought risk, stabilise yields, and encourage small-scale farmers to adopt best management practices is fundamental to realising food security and improved livelihoods for the continent. AATF is leading a public-private partnership called Water Effi cient Maize for Africa (WEMA) to develop drought-tolerant African maize using conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and biotechnology. The benefi ts and safety of the maize varieties will be assessed by national authorities according to the regulatory requirements in the partner countries: Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.