The African Union Commission (AUC), AUDA-NEPAD and Morocco’s OCP Group have just formed a tripartite partnership to support the development of the agricultural sector in Africa.
The main purpose of this partnership is 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, adopted by the Heads of State and Government in 2014 in Equatorial Guinea, the OCP said in a press release.
The partnership-related MoU was signed this Wednesday on the sidelines of the ongoing African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) held in Accra, Ghana, September 3 through 6.
The AUC, AUDA-NEPAD partnership with OCP Group demonstrates a shared commitment to reduce jointly hunger and poverty through the sustainable transformation of the African agricultural sector.
Through this partnership, the stakeholders intend to promote the use of agricultural inputs, including access to customized fertilizers meeting the needs of soils and crops of each region, and to develop the efficiency of the fertilizer whole value chain.
The agreement will therefore be operationalized by strengthening a conducive environment for private sector investments in agriculture; equipping African Union member states with the right policies and tools to support the achievement of the Abuja commitments on fertilizer use.
Moreover, this MoU will also support strengthening efficient and sustainable use for smallholders to increase the sector’s productivity and promote inclusive growth; as well as reinforcing national and regional agricultural policies aimed at boosting the adoption of good agricultural practices and innovations.
In order to support the economic development of the African continent, OCP Group signed last July 14 a MoU with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), a regional body of the United Nations.
Under the agreement, the two sides vowed to build on enhanced cooperation to advance economic and social research as well as the implementation of economic and social policies to address the challenges facing Africa.
OCP and ECA will collaborate primarily in the areas of innovation and agriculture. Indeed, it will be a question of promoting innovation along the agricultural supply chain, financial innovation, including new concepts to attract capital markets but also by the promotion of science, technology and innovation at the service of African agriculture.
In a bid to optimize Pan-African trade in agricultural inputs, the agreement also focuses on the African Union led Continental Free Trade Area to boost pan-African trade, primarily on agricultural products and the inputs needed for agriculture.
The OCP-ECA agreement also provides for strengthening women’s economic empowerment, accelerating the growth of African women fund managers, and improving women’s access to financial architecture and ecosystems.
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 stakeholders.
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.