Centre d'engrais
Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel– Ibadan, Nigeria
Le Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel is a strategic, multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at transforming agricultural productivity across West Africa and the Sahel by improving soil health and fertilizer use. It was formally launched in 2024 as a sub-program of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address the longstanding challenges of soil nutrient depletion, low crop yields, and inefficient fertilizer use.
Location and hosting
- The Hub is hosted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) headquarters in Ibadan, Nigéria.
- It also has regional nodes and partnerships across the area defined by ECOWAS countries, including Mauritania and Chad.
Partnerships and governance
The Fertilizer Hub is governed by a consortium of technical and institutional partners, including:
- IITA – hub coordination and technical leadership
- International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) – technical implementation and agronomic expertise
- OCP Afrique – soil fertility and fertilizer systems support
- African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) – plant nutrition expertise
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) – research and education collaboration
- Banque mondiale – initial funding and investment support, particularly through the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project.
This partnership model ensures the Hub combines research excellence, policy support, private sector engagement, and international development backing.
Objectives and core functions
The Hub’s mission is to improve soil health, fertilizer use efficiency, and agricultural productivity across the region. Its core roles include:
- Technical assistance and advisory services
- Providing science-based guidance to governments, research institutes, and agricultural extension systems.
- Supporting the design and implementation of fertilizer and soil health investments across ECOWAS countries.
- Data-driven fertilizer recommendations
- Using field data, advanced agronomic models, digital soil maps, and data science (including tools like AgWise) to develop site-specific fertilizer recommendations tailored to local soil conditions, crop needs, and climate.
- Capacity building and knowledge sharing
- Facilitating training, workshops, and technical support for national agricultural agencies, extension workers, and farmers.
- Building local expertise in soil science, agronomy, and fertilizer management.
- Policy support and stakeholder engagement
- Supporting national and regional policy frameworks that strengthen soil health monitoring, nutrient stewardship, and sustainable agricultural practices.
- Encouraging collaboration among government agencies, private sector players, research institutions, and farmer groups.
Importance stratégique
The Fertilizer Hub represents a programmatic shift from fragmented fertilizer use toward coordinated, science-based soil health management:
- Enhances soil nutrient management by identifying what nutrients are limiting and recommending appropriate fertilizer types and rates.
- Boosts crop yields and farm profitability through efficient fertilizer use tied to soil diagnostics and predictive models.
- Promotes climate-smart agriculture by aligning recommendations with climate variability and resilience strategies.
- Empowers farmers with actionable, localized agronomic guidance via digital tools and advisory networks.
Regional scope and impact
- Technical assistance and advisory services
- Providing science-based guidance to governments, research institutes, and agricultural extension systems.
- Supporting the design and implementation of fertilizer and soil health investments across ECOWAS countries. (ecowas.int)
- Data-driven fertilizer recommendations
- Using field data, advanced agronomic models, digital soil maps, and data science (including tools like AgWise) to develop site-specific fertilizer recommendations tailored to local soil conditions, crop needs, and climate. (The Guardian Nigeria)
- Capacity building and knowledge sharing
- Facilitating training, workshops, and technical support for national agricultural agencies, extension workers, and farmers.
- Building local expertise in soil science, agronomy, and fertilizer management. (ecowas.int)
- Policy support and stakeholder engagement
- Supporting national and regional policy frameworks that strengthen soil health monitoring, nutrient stewardship, and sustainable agricultural practices.
- Encouraging collaboration among government agencies, private sector players, research institutions, and farmer groups. (ecowas.int)
In essence, the Pôle régional pour les engrais et la santé des sols is a high-impact, multi-partner initiative focused on building data-driven, sustainable soil fertility management systems across West Africa and the Sahel. It serves as a hub for research translation, capacity development, digital agronomy solutions, and policy support, all aimed at raising productivity, protecting ecosystems, and strengthening farmer livelihoods in response to persistent soil fertility challenges.