Peppers (hot and sweet) belong to the Solanaceae family, genus Capsicum (Greenleaf, 1986). This genus originated from Central and South America (Grubben and El Tahir, 2004) and comprises about 30 species, of which, five domesticated that comprise Capsicum annuum L. (hot and sweet peppers), Capsicum frutescens L. or bird pepper, Capsicum chinense Jacq. or aromatic chili pepper, Capsicum baccatum L. (aji), and Capsicum pubescens Ruiz and Pav. (rocoto). The first three species are the most cultivated in both tropical and temperate
zones. C. annuum often forms a complex with C. frutescens and C. chinense. In Africa, they are generally considered together as C. annuum L (Grubben and El Tahir, 2004).
In this review paper, the morphologic and genetic diversity of Capsicum sp. peppers are highlighted as well as their potential uses. Also highlighted are the efforts deployed by the private sector, national and international agricultural research institutions in breeding, germplasm collection and management, and the perspectives for further improvement in West Africa.