The African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org) urged development finance institutions, NGOs, farmer cooperatives, and the private sector to develop more effective financing solutions for Africas fertilizer value chains. The Banks call to action came during the Argus Africa Fertilizer Conference held on 19 February. The conferences theme was Supporting the fertilizer value chain to improve agricultural productivity and economic growth in the region.Appropriate investment and financing of the entire fertilizer value chain has become a precondition for achieving our continental objectives in the area of agricultural development, said Marie-Claire Kalihangabo, coordinator of the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism, during a forum on the side-lines of the Conference.AFFM is a Fund managed by the African Development Bank to accelerate agriculture development in line with the Banks High-5 priority, Africa Food Security Vision, the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Unions Agenda 2063.Bank and AFFM staff presented tools and strategies to remove pain points in the fertilizer value chains of African countries, including fertilizer guarantee instruments(http://bit.ly/2Vb3PGY), loans to support fertilizer production(http://bit.ly/32h1CLB)as well as access to inputs like seeds and crop protectants.The success of Africas agriculture agenda requires a synergistic approach that will bring down barriers and silos that are still hampering the development of the fertilizer sector in Africa, said Mahamadou Nassirou Ba, Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.Participants also discussed the need for closer cooperation between development partners and commercial banks to create exclusive fertilizer financing opportunities throughout Africa and bolster small and medium enterprises in the fertilizer sector. SMEs are thought to represent the key to providing smallholder farmers with quality fertilizer.Edward Mabaya, Manager of the Banks Agribusiness Development Division said digital solutions like the e-wallet in Nigeria could play a more significant role in revitalizing and connecting the fertilizer supply chain. The digital transformation can greatly help actors of the fertilizer value chain to streamline their processes and achieve better results. Mabaya said during the AFFMs forum.The Forum provided an opportunity for Mali to showcase how effective public-private collaboration and better organization of value-chain actors helped raise the countrys fertilizer use to 50kg of nutrients per hectare. In achieving this, the country met a target set in the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution(http://bit.ly/2P9WHGU)The success story of Malis fertilizer expansion is partly due to the presence of inter-professional committees per crop, said Oumar Guindo, General Manager of the Toguna Agro Industries, a fertilizer company based in Mali.Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).Media Contact:Olufemi TerryCommunication and External Relations DepartmentAfrican Development Bankemail: o.terry@afdb.orgAbout the African Development Bank Group:The African Development Bank Group (https://www.AfDB.org) is Africas premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.orgMedia filesDownload logo
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