Dipo Olowookere
From Monday, September 30 to Tuesday, October 1, 2019, stakeholders will gather at the Babacar N’Diaye Auditorium of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Head Office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for the maiden West Africa Fertilizer Financing Forum organized by the lender.
At the event themed Fostering Fertilizer Future, participants will discuss the financing needs of the fertilizer value chain and appropriate financing products. The programme is supported by the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) and the West Africa Fertilizer Association.
As the right fertilization is essential to achieve food security and reduce hunger, the Forum aims to showcase enabling financing, especially to private sector players, and build strong links between them and lending schemes, to help increase access to affordable funding and improve farmers’ access to quality fertilizers.
It will serve as a platform for the African Development Bank and the AFFM to present their products that support the industry, and to connect private sector dealers to the Bank and other regional financial institutions.
The event will bring together West African stakeholders in the fertilizer value chain, including regional policy makers; producers, importers, blenders and distributors representing the 42-member West Africa Fertilizer Association. Commercial banks, development finance bodies and private funds, as well as agriculture digitalization companies and related non-governmental development organizations, are also expected to attend.
