Partners chart roadmap for a regional hub for fertilizer and soil health

Following the signing of a 5-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) geared towards changing the game for food systems in West Africa and the Sahel between IITA and Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), a partners’ commencement meeting for the regional hub for fertilizer and soil health was held in Marrakech recently.

The hub proposal in collaboration with partners comprising ECOWAS, IITA, OCP Africa, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), and the World Bank is a shared vision of enabling long-term soil health and fertility for enhanced yield, profitability, climate resilience, and a thriving, sustainable agricultural sector for countries in West Africa and the Sahel.

With the West African region and the Sahel struggling with challenges such as soil health decline, land degradation, poor yields, and loss of ecosystem services—all leading to poverty and depletion of natural resources, the hub will bridge the existing gaps in soil systems, knowledge management, and agronomy.

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