Cowpea is a staple crop in the dry savannas of West Africa, where farmers typically produce two primary types of cowpea: early-maturing varieties grown for grain and late-maturing variants grown for fodder production. Due to its rapid growth rate and suitability as a niche crop in multicropping systems that also include maize, sorghum, and millet, cowpea has emerged as one of Africa’s most vital food and cash crops. The West African countries of Nigeria and Niger produce more than 75 percent of the world’s cowpea, making it the continent’s most important grain legume (Manda, 2020).