Morocco’s OCP, AU to cooperate in developing African agriculture
Morocco’s phosphates and fertilizer producer, OCP, signed a memorandum of understanding with the African Union Commission and the African Union’s Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD, to develop Agriculture in the continent.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the ongoing African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Accra, Ghana, Sept. 3 – 6.
The deal reflects the interest of all the parties to address food security in Africa through the sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector on the continent, OCP said in a statement.
Last July, part of its endeavor to support the economic development of the African continent, OCP Group signed with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), a regional body of the United Nations, a Memorandum of Understanding in order to pool their respective efforts.
The two sides intend to build on enhanced cooperation through this MoU 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 vowed to collaborate primarily to promote innovation along the agricultural supply chain, financial innovation, including new concepts to attract capital markets, and also the promotion of science, technology and innovation at the service of African agriculture.
OCP, which established an African branch called OCP Africa, has brought assistance to farmers on the continent notably via the promotion of customized fertilizers at an affordable price and supporting of innovative mechanisms to create resilient and sustainable agricultural productivity.
OCP has also launched projects to build plants in Ethiopia and Nigeria as well as blenders across the continent to bring fertilizers closer to the African farmer.
Under the same agreement, “The parties aim to promote the use of agricultural inputs, including access to customized fertilizer to the soil and crops of each region, and to develop the efficiency of the fertilizer whole value chain by working on corridors approach,” OCP said.
