Launch of the regional hub for fertilizers and soil health in West Africa and the Sahel

ECOWAS, in collaboration with technical and financial partners such as OCP Africa, IITA, APNI, IFDC, UM6P, and the World Bank, officially launched the Regional Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub for West Africa and the Sahel. This event marks a crucial milestone in the collective effort to improve soil health and agricultural productivity in this region.

The Hub, hosted on the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) campus in Ibadan, Nigeria, receives initial funding from the World Bank and OCP-Africa. As an ECOWAS sub-program, it is governed by a consortium of technical partners, including IITA, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), the Africa Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), OCP-Africa, and the Mohamed 6 Polytechnic University (UM6P), and is coordinated by IITA.

The Hub's primary role is to provide technical assistance for the development and implementation of fertilizer and soil health investments in ECOWAS countries, including Mauritania and Chad. It aims to improve long-term soil health, optimize fertility management for increased yields and profitability, efficiently use resources (nutrients, water, labor, seeds), and build climate resilience.

From the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizers in 2006 to the recent African Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in May 2024 in Nairobi, ECOWAS has worked tirelessly to overcome the challenges of inefficient fertilizer use and poor soil health management in Africa. The launch of this Regional Hub is a proactive response to these challenges, aimed at transforming agricultural practices in the region.

During the launch, the ECOWAS Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IITA for the implementation of the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the West Africa Regional Hub. Another Memorandum of Understanding was signed with OCP Africa for training opportunities in agricultural extension on fertilizers and soil health at the Mohamed 6 Polytechnic University in Morocco.

Solving soil health problems in Africa requires more than technical assistance. Success requires strong partnerships and effective synergies. The Regional Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub is a concrete example of this collaboration, aimed at improving people's livelihoods through sustainable and resilient agriculture.

Djamiou A.