OCP Group, World Bank join forces to boost food security, agricultural developt in West Africa
Marrakech, Morocco (PANA) - The World Bank and the OCP Group on Wednesday announced a game changing partnership to support farmers in West Africa and the Sahel.
At the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco, OCP Chairman Mostafa Terrab and World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa Ousmane Diagana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster cooperation and programmes benefitting five million farmers in Benin, Guinea, Mali, and Togo, covering 10 million hectares.
This cooperation aims at accelerating investments and reforms to make fertilizers more accessible and affordable to farmers.
“These projects are an important step towards unlocking Africa’s potential in global food security,” said OCP Group’s Chairman and CEO Mr. Terrab.
“The goal is to drive a just and sustainable agricultural transition, by widening the access of farmers in West Africa to customized fertilizers that nourish the soil and improve crop yields, which in turn enhances the livelihoods of farmers, thereby contributing to African development and prosperity.”
This is a critical partnership to help achieve the commitments made by the Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the Lomé Declaration endorsed in May 2023.
“Both our institutions believe in accelerating investments and reforms to support a resilient agriculture that promotes sustainable development and creates jobs. This partnership between the World Bank and the OCP Group is turning the Lomé Declaration into action,” said Diagana.
The partnership will focus on five areas of cooperation, namelyy Improving soil health and fertility through digital soil mapping analysis and customised fertilization; establishing agricultural technology and service centres to train and support smallholder farmers; launching a Digital Farming School programme to foster local capacities and entrepreneurship to transform the agri-food sector; strengthening the capacity of ECOWAS to operationalize its Roadmap on fertilizers and soil health; and supporting the establishment of a Regional Centre for Soil Health and Fertility management in West Africa hosted by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Under the partnership, both institutions reaffirm their commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 2 on hunger and food security, and SDG 13 on climate change.
OCP Group helps feed a growing global population by providing it with the essential elements for soil fertility and plant growth. With a century of expertise and a turnover of more than US$ 11.3 billion in 2022, OCP is the world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate-based fertilisers.
Headquartered in Morocco and present on five continents, OCP Group has approximately 20,000 employees and works closely with more than 350 customers around the world.
OCP recently launched a new green investment strategy, dedicated to increasing fertilizer production and investing in renewable energy. The strategy foresees an overall investment of approximately $13 billion over the period 2023-2027, which will enable the Group to use 100% renewable energy by 2027 and achieve full carbon neutrality by 2040.
The strategy also aims to reach a water desalination capacity of 560 million m3 in 2026 and to increase the production of green fertilisers. The Group is firmly convinced that leadership and profitability are synonymous with social responsibility and sustainable development.
-0- PANA AR/RA 11Oct2023
