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AFAP signs MOU with COMESA

11 Dec 2016
The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA). The MOU will mark and officialise the cooperation between the two organisations in developing input markets in East and Southern Africa, with a focus on fertilizer.

The MOU was signed at the AFAP headquarters by AFAP’s President and CEO, Jason Scarpone, and COMESA’s Secretary General, Sindiso Ngwenya.

Through the MOU, the two organisations will collaborate on issues aimed at facilitating and supporting accessibility, affordability and investments in the fertilizer sector in the region, and promote efficient use of fertilizer for increased agricultural productivity by smallholder farmers.

“These linkages and partnerships allow AFAP to progress its missions of working with agribusinesses to create food security,” Scarpone said.

“I am confident that this initiative will be a big opportunity for smallholder farmers. We need to continually ask ourselves what all these signatures mean for the smallholder farmers,” Scarpone said.

AFAP and COMESA will work together to identify and encourage private sector investment opportunities in the fertilizer value chain.

According to Ngwenya, this joint effort will expand the missions of both organisations and allow them to reach out to policymakers for reforms at grassroots level. “When it comes to farm inputs, especially fertilizer, we need to change how things are done. We need to use our resources efficiently, in working together to bring change and food security,” he said.

“This partnership holds a lot of promise because of the shared vision,” said Ngwenya.