Kigali: The African Union Commission, together with the African Union’s Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD, a leading global producer of fertilizers, are pleased to strengthen their partnership to support the development of the African Agricultural Sector through the signature of a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
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 ongoing African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) from the 3 – 6 September 2019 in Accra, Republic of Ghana.
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. As such, the parties 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 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.
The Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) of the African Union monitored by the AUDA-NEPAD, is one of the continental frameworks under Agenda 2063 and it aims to help African countries eliminate hunger and reduce poverty by raising economic growth through agriculture-led development as well as promote increased national budget provision to the agriculture sector.
About OCP Group:
OCP plays an important role in feeding a growing global population, by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plants growth. With almost a century of experience and revenues reaching US$ 5.95 billion in 2018, OCP Group is a leader in the phosphate rock and the world’s first producer of phosphate-based fertilizers. OCP provides a wide range of well-adapted fertilizer products to enhance soil, increase agricultural yields, and help feeding the planet in a sustainable and affordable way. Thanks to its large-scale integrated industrial development strategy, OCP is present on the entire phosphate value chain and operates on all of its business lines, offering to its 23,000 employees a development path focused on excellence. Headquartered in Morocco, OCP works in a close partnership with more than 160 customers over 5 continents. Committed to best serve the development of Africa, OCP places innovation at the heart of its strategy, in particular to implement sustainable and prosperous agriculture on the continent. As a responsible industrial player, OCP is strongly committed to Africa’s environmental, social and human development. The Group is firmly convinced that leadership and profitability are necessarily synonymous to social responsibility and sustainable development. Its strategic vision resides where these two dimensions meet. (End)