By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
ECOWAS Commission as made moves to improve soil fertility and agricultural productivity in the region.
The Commission organized a virtual consultations with the
private sector, civil society, and the public sector from 25th to 27th April 2023.
The technical and financial support of the International Fertilizer Development Center, IFDC, and the World Bank, was to mobilize stakeholders,
and inter-governmental organisations like ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS) and member countries to
contribute to the development and adoption of a specific regional agenda that includes performance indicators on soil fertility and health for the benefit of all countries in the region.
At the 3 Day Meeting, member States adopted a roadmap ahead the High level Roundtable meeting African Summit
on Fertilizer and Soil Health.slated
for 30th to 31st May 2023 in Lomé, Togo.
Despite efforts undertaken and the progress recorded since the African Fertilizer
Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria in June 2006, agricultural productivity and production are still insufficient, the ECOWAS Commission noted.
Since 2010 of food insect and hunger, fertilizer use in subregion is still at low levels from the adopted targets of 50 kg of nutrients per hectare, thereby causing heavy reliance on food imports amid continuous increase in growing
insecurity, climate change and declining soil fertility.
