The Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism (AFFM) has announced plans to implement its 2028 strategic plan with the aim of supporting the increased availability and appropriate use of fertiliser across the continent.
The announcement was made during a hybrid meeting of the AFFM’s governing council. It is made up of 11 institutional members, including the African Union Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Fertiliser Development Centre, and the African Development Bank, among others.
During the meeting, council members discussed the AFFM’s strategic plan, which prioritises broadening access to finance through capital investments and policy reforms, as well as providing technical assistance to boost smallholder farmers’ access to and appropriate use of fertiliser.
The council also commended the AFFM for its successful delivery of trade credit guarantee projects in Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire. Through the end of 2022, these projects provided 112 268 tonnes of fertiliser to 690,896 smallholder farmers in the four countries. The AFFM has developed a pipeline of projects for implementation in 2023, which will be rolled out in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The AFFM’s annual report for 2022, as well as the work program and budget for 2023, were also endorsed by the council during the meeting. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank vice president for agriculture, human and social development, praised the AFFM, stating that it is an important vehicle for achieving the bank’s Feed Africa Strategy objectives.
Ahead of the 2023 Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit (AFSH), scheduled for June and July 2023 in Dakar, Senegal, Josefa Sacko, African Union commissioner for agriculture, rural development, blue economy and sustainable environment and chair of the AFFM governing council, emphasised the importance of strengthening the AFFM to support the implementation of decisions that will emerge from the summit.
Janet Ademe, head of the rural development division at the African Union Commission, spoke on Sacko’s behalf, stating that sustainable production, distribution, use, and management of fertilisers and soil health are critical for the transformation of African agriculture.
“All of these call for AFFM to undertake its function to avail appropriate financing instruments, which will allow the private sector to invest, and for our farmers to have access and appropriately use this important input in African agriculture,” she added.
The AFFM’s commitment to its strategic plan highlights its continued efforts to support smallholder farmers across Africa and promote sustainable agriculture practices. As the organisation looks to expand its trade credit guarantee projects in 2023, it is clear that the AFFM is a key player in the development of Africa’s agriculture sector.
