The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi is a convention aimed at leveraging deep expertise and convening power to underscore the crucial role of agricultural technologies, fertilizer, and healthy soils in driving sustainable agricultural growth. The summit, hosting over 1500 delegates, is anticipated to explore solutions for widespread declines in farmland soil quality and build consensus on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan.
This initiative follows substantial progress demonstrated by the African Union in advancing food security through increased production, addressing food insecurity cases on the continent. The summit is poised to adopt an African Union Commission initiative to enhance the health and productivity of African soils.
In attendance are notable figures such as the African Development Bank Group President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, and the Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Beth Dunford, who will lead a delegation of agriculture, agribusiness, fertilizer, and partnership specialists to the summit.
Dr. Dunford will speak during a side event titled “Dakar 2 – the State of African Fertilizer and Soil Health: Policy, Governance, and Institutional Framework to Accelerate Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts.”
Organized by the Leadership for Agriculture network, a partnership of the African Development Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, the session will bring together representatives of agricultural ministries, the private sector, and other stakeholders to showcase successful efforts by Ethiopia and Mali to scale soil health interventions, raise crop productivity, and bolster rural livelihoods.
It will advance the implementation of Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts to achieve food self-sufficiency, as outlined in the Dakar 2 Feed Africa Summit held in January 2023.
Collaborating with the African Development Bank and the United States Department of State, the African Union has organized a side event to showcase the strategic and developing relationship between the African Development Bank and the U.S.-led Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), a movement aimed at building resilient food systems grounded in diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy, fertile soils.
Several sessions during the summit will focus on tackling the challenge of building resilience in food systems against financial shocks. As part of its Feed Africa strategy to boost yields and build resilience, the African Development Bank is committed to ensuring African farmers have access to the inputs they need, including fertilizer and high-quality seeds.
According to Dr. Martin Fregene, the Bank’s Director for Agriculture and Agro-Industry, the summit presents another opportunity to advance our collective goals – bridging the supply gap of fertilizers in Africa and contributing to a flourishing agricultural landscape, underscoring the importance of the African fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in achieving the continent’s shared aspirations.
