8th annual Africa Fertilizer conference

15-17 February 2017. Cape Town. Over 520 participants from 63 countries of which 23 are African attended the 8th annual Africa Fertilizer conference.

The conference agenda featured over 30 speakers who addressed ways to increase African farmers' access to fertilizer and consequently to boost agricultural yields across the continent.

On of the keynote speakers included: 

• OCP AFRICA chief executive Karim Lofti Senhadji, (picture)
• the African Development Bank's vice-president for agriculture, human and social development, Jennifer Blanke, (picture)
• and the chief executive of African development partnership NEPAD, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki.

Other speakers (extracts)

• promoting an Enabling Environment for SMEs in the Fertilizer Supply Chain, Daniel Gad, Owner, Omega Farms
• Why Micronutrients are Important in Fertilizers, Rob White, Regional Director, International Zinc Association
• The Role of Public Private Partnerships in Improving Access to Fertilizers, Adam Mostert, Chairman, East and Southern Africa Fertilizer Trade Platform (ESAF)



Jason Scarpone
President and CEO
AFAP

• African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism: Recent Developments and Opportunities, Benedict Kanu, Lead Agriculture Expert, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Dept. African Development Bank

The conference was supported by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), the Africa Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) as well as by a number of other organisations involved in promoting fertilizer use in Africa

The agenda focused on increasing consumption of fertilizers and building meaningful supply chain partnerships in Africa. Speakers from the private and public sectors discussed the importance of creating enabling environments for fertilizer supply and distribution, improving access to finance and developing infrastructure that in turn will broaden intra-Africa trade, increase fertilizer consumption across the continent and ultimately boost agricultural productivity.

The African Fertilizer Access Index: Towards the Establishment of Competitive Fertilizer

Value Chains for Smallholder Farmers

• Maria Wanzala, Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, AFAP (picture)

• A new AFAP initiative to support the establishment of an enabling environment for fertilizer in order to boost fertilizer use by smallholder farmers
• Strengthening understanding of the key components of harmonized fertilizer policies and regulations for the region
• Disseminating comprehensive knowledge of the status of fertilizer policies and regulations in the target countries

Panel Discussion: Farmer and Agridealer Perspectives on Fertilizer Distribution and Use

• Fertilizer use in the context of broader farming considerations – seed quality, irrigation facilities and extension services
• Improving accessibility, affordability of fertilizers for farmers
• Delivering training to improve understanding of balanced fertilization
• Optimizing knowledge of specific crop and soil requirements 
• The evolving role of the hub agridealer as a key link in the supply chain
  

• Daniel Gad, Owner, Omega Farms
• Dinnah Kapiza, Owner and Managing Director, Tisaiwale Trading
• Nike Tinubu, Managing Director, Eagleson Cassava
• Mark Tindle, Managing Director (Zambia), Omnia Fertilizers

Panel Discussion: Boosting Fertilizer Consumption with Accessible Financial Platforms and Innovative Solutions

• Leveraging private and public sector initiatives to unlock the potential of SMEs across the agricultural sector
• Collaborative initiatives to offer access to credit for smallholder farmers

• Kalim M. Shah, Chief Investment Officer, Downstream Oil abd Gas, Sub-Saharan Africa, IFC
• Julia Franklin, Global Sourcing Director, One Acre Fund
• Benedict Kanu, Lead Agriculture Expert, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Dept. African Development Bank

Developments in Trade Corridors, Regional Collaboration and Agricultural Clusters

• Update on developments of key trade corridors and impact on the market
• Assessing the costs and risks including border procedures and bottlenecks
• Government initiatives and public and private sector collaboration
• Linking investment and innovation to develop robust supply networks of fertilizers and seeds for smallholder farmers

• Argent Chuula, CEO - ACTESA, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
• Emerson Zhou, CEO, Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor
• Sean de Cleene, Chief of Strategy and Partnerships, AGRA (picture)