OCP Africa has announced a momentous partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Sierra Leone, aiming for a just agricultural transition putting soils and farmers at its core in the West African country. The partnership has been formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sideline of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, with the presence of OCP Africa’s representatives, and a delegation led by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Sierra Leone, Mr. Musa Kpaka, accompanied by the Sierra Leone Ambassador to Kenya, Isatu Aminata Bundu. This groundbreaking partnership aims to strengthen the capacity of local stakeholders in agricultural planning and management, close the yield gap while combatting climate change and loss of biodiversity, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and facilitate access to high-quality soil and plant nutrition solutions for smallholder farmers.
To achieve this ambition, OCP Africa and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Sierra Leone will jointly implement various initiatives including last mile distribution of farm inputs and services, local production of specialty fertilizer, soil health & fertility interventions, digital decision support platform, integrated model farms, and the deployment of Mother-Baby Trial Approach. “We’re excited to partner with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in their efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and ensure food security. As a South-led global leader rooted in Africa with a track record of impacting over 3.2 millions farmers across the continent, we’ll bring our expertise in farmer support, R&D, and fertilizer production to support Sierra Leone”, said Mr Mohamed Hettiti, Chief Operating Officer of OCP Africa.
This strategic partnership represents a significant step towards achieving the shared vision of a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural sector in Sierra Leone.
OCP Africa is a subsidiary of OCP Group, a South-led global leader rooted in Africa, developing scalable partnerships and collaborations worldwide. OCP Africa was created in 2016 to contribute to a just agricultural transition putting soils and farmers at its core. It develops customized plant and soil nutrition solutions, while working with partners to ensure African smallholder farmers get the agricultural services, knowledge and resources required to close the yield gap.
