Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a regional hub for fertiliser and soil health with an aim of enhancing soil health and food production in West Africa and the Sahel region.
The move is to build on the journey undertaken since the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer in 2006 through the May 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.
In this, the trading block has collaborated with technical and financial partners such as OCP Africa, IITA, APNI, IFDC, UM6P and the World Bank mainly to realise the aim of the hub.
The Hub is hosted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) campus in Ibadan, Nigeria, with initial funding from the World Bank and OCP-Africa.
It will also contribute in responding to the continent’s challenges such as inefficient use of fertilizers and poor management of soil health among other factors resulting to its inability to feed itself and becoming the food basket of the world.
The Hub, located at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) campus in Ibadan, Nigeria, was initially funded by the World Bank and OCP-Africa. It operates as an ECOWAS sub-program and is governed by a consortium of technical partners.
These partners include IITA, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), the Africa Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), OCP-Africa, and the University of Mohamed 6 Polytechnic (UM6P), with IITA serving as the coordinating body.
The primary role of the Hub is to provide technical assistance for developing and implementing investments in fertilizer and soil health across ECOWAS countries, including Mauritania and Chad. It aims to enhance long-term soil health and fertility management, leading to improved yields, profitability, efficient resource use (nutrients, water, labor, seeds), and climate resilience. This event marks a significant milestone in the collective effort to improve soil health and agricultural productivity in West Africa and the Sahel.
During the launch event, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandjé Touré-Litsé, signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). One MoU was with IITA to implement the regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the West Africa Hub. The other was with OCP Africa to provide training opportunities in agricultural extension on fertilizer and soil health at the Polytechnic University of Mohamed 6 in Morocco.
Addressing the issue of soil health in Africa requires more than just technical assistance; it necessitates effective partnerships and collaboration. ECOWAS strongly encourages all stakeholders to unite in efforts to combat food insecurity in West Africa. The West Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub, along with its roadmap and action plans, offers a robust framework for achieving this goal.
