WEST AFRICA – OCP Africa has forged a partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to support the rice and millet sectors in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal respectively.

The ultimate goal of the partnership is to advance food security in the two countries and improve the standard of living of the small-holder farmers

As part of this partnership, IFC will provide consulting services to farmers and agricultural groups that are members of OCP Africa’s Agribooster program to reach nearly 12,000 Ivorian and Senegalese farmers by 2022.

“We are very pleased with this partnership with OCP Africa, a strong contributor to the development of agriculture in Africa, which aims to promote more responsible and environmentally friendly agriculture.”

Xavier Reille – IFC’s Maghreb Director

This project aims at strengthening the technical, financial, and managerial skills of cooperatives and to improve agricultural practices by integrating climate-smart solutions for water and soil management.

It also aims to speed up the digitization of payment systems in both value chains and the development of a rating tool to improve access to farmers’ financing, the source added.

“We are very pleased with this partnership with OCP Africa, a strong contributor to the development of agriculture in Africa, which aims to promote more responsible and environmentally friendly agriculture,” said Xavier Reille, IFC’s Maghreb Director.

OCP Africa, with whom IFC signed an agreement in principle in January 2020 for enhanced collaboration, is a strategic player in Africa for the development of sustainable and intelligent agriculture that values the work of small producers and strengthens food security.

“This partnership embodies our vision of unlocking the potential of African agriculture sustainably, through a holistic approach, involving key players in the value chain, to the benefit of smallholder farmers,” said Mohamed Anouar Jamali, Managing Director of OCP Africa.

OCP Africa is a subsidiary of the OCP Group, world leader in the phosphate market and its by-products.

It is present in several African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Benin, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda.

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