The ‘Access to Seeds Index’, developed by the Access to Seeds Foundation, measures and compares the efforts of the world’s leading seed companies to enhance the productivity of smallholder farmers. From 2015-2018, the foundation conducted a study, which profiles 54 seed-producing cooperatives that were identified in 20 countries of West and Central Africa. It shows that seed-producing cooperatives play a key role in improving access to quality seeds in the region. Cooperatives often collaborate with national and international research institutes to select and test improved varieties and with seed companies to distribute their seeds nationally and regionally through the seed companies’ channels. The study identified strong examples of seed-producing cooperatives in four countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal). The situation in eight other countries (Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo) can be characterized as promising. In four countries (Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Republic of Congo) no seed-producing cooperatives were identified that are formally recognized. Key outcomes were increased understanding of the role of cooperatives in seed systems, which are increasingly being formally recognized as producers of certified seed.