The African Union Commission, together with the African Union’s Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD, and OCP Group (a leading global producer of fertilizers) have signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their partnership to support the development of the African Agricultural Sector.

The MoU was signed by HE Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, OCP Group’s Chairman and CEO, Mr. Mostafa Terrab, and HE Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the AUDA-NEPAD, represented by Dr. Hamady Diop, on the sidelines of the just-ended African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) held in Accra.

The African Union, AUDA-NEPAD partnership with OCP Group, a major African private sector player with extensive global reach, demonstrates a shared commitment to deepen collaboration with all actors, including the African private sector to reduce jointly hunger and poverty through the sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector on the Continent.

OCP Group is a major player in Africa’s sustainable development and does so by contributing to the African agricultural ecosystem through support to African farmers and targeted private and public African actors and stakeholder. 

The Group supports innovative mechanisms aimed at creating resilient and sustainable agricultural productivity to enable Africa to reach its full agricultural potential while protecting its natural environment.

This partnership is intended to facilitate effective coordination of the implementation and delivery of a set of goals as outlined in the African Union Malabo Business Plan on Agriculture Transformation which aims to increase productivity and catalyse private sector investment. 

The parties, therefore, aim to promote the use of agricultural inputs, including access to customized fertilizer to the soil and crops of each region, and to develop the efficiency of the fertilizer whole value chain by working on corridors approach.

The agreement will, therefore, be operationalized in the following ways by;

• Strengthening a conducive environment for private sector investment in agriculture; 
• Equipping African Union member states with the right policies and tools to support the achievement of the Abuja commitments on fertilizer use; 
• Strengthening efficient and sustainable use for smallholders to increase the sector’s productivity and promote inclusive growth; 
• As well as strengthening national and regional agricultural policies aimed at boosting the adoption of good agricultural practices and innovations.