Kenya is hosting the preparatory ministerial meeting for the African Summit on Fertilizers and Soil Health from May 7 to 9 in Nairobi. Morocco is represented by a strong delegation led by the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, and senior officials from the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP).
In his speech, the minister reaffirmed “Morocco’s commitment to sharing its experiences and international expertise in fertilizers and soil health with sister African countries, to improve the productivity and sustainability of soils and thus ensuring the food security of the continent.
Sadiki also recalled that South-South cooperation in Africa occupies an important place in Moroccan foreign policy. “Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the country is constantly and actively carrying out initiatives to share, particularly through the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP), its experiences, its expertise, and its best practices,” he said. precise.
For its part, OCP, also present at this African event, announced that “a dialogue with stakeholders” is scheduled “to explore the opportunities and meet the challenges linked to the health of fertilizers and soils”, including “post-summit coordination, aligned investments, and implementation strategies” of agreed projects.
Following in the footsteps of the kingdom, Algeria has also offered its “expertise” in the field of fertilizers and soil health to African countries. The Algerian Minister of Agriculture, Youcef Cherfa, underlined his country’s willingness “to share its experiences in terms of strengthening human capacities, in the sustainable and integrated management of natural resources (water and soil), and the investment in the production and distribution of fertilizers.
And to indicate that “Algeria plays a leading role in the field of fertilizers. In addition to its ability to meet the needs of the domestic market, Algeria occupies an important position, as a supplier, in the international market, in Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America.
In January, Algeria granted a donation of 16,000 tonnes of fertilizer to Kenya. In April, Africa Intelligence reported that Kenyan President William Ruto plans to visit Morocco. “The keystone of the rapprochement between the two countries is the construction of a fertilizer factory” in Kenya. A project that could be announced during Ruto’s trip to the kingdom.
Fertilizer diplomacy has already paved the way for political and economic rapprochements between Morocco and certain African countries, such as Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
