Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for an African Green Revolution

The New Partnership for Africa's Development has declared that the vision of economic development in Africa must be based on raising and sustaining higher rates of economic growth (7 percent per year). To realize this vision, the African Heads of State and Government adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme, which calls for a 6 percent annual growth in agricultural production, as a framework for the restoration of agricultural growth, food security and rural development in Africa.

A move toward reducing hunger on the continent must begin by addressing its severely depleted soils. Due to decades of soil nutrient mining, Africa's soils have become the poorest in the world. It is estimated that the continent loses the equivalent of over $4 billion worth of soil nutrients per year, severely eroding its ability to feed itself. Yet farmers have neither access to nor can they afford the fertilizers needed to add life to their soils. And no region of the world has been able to expand agricultural growth rates, and thus tackle hunger, without increasing fertilizer use.

In Africa, use of fertilizer averages only eight kilograms per hectare; this is only 10 percent of the world average. In short, Africa is trapped in a fertilizer crisis. Addressing Africa's fertilizer crisis therefore requires urgent and bold actions. Africa is ready for the Green Revolution. Today, African leaders have convened to show their strong and unanimous commitment to achieving the African Green Revolution by taking immediate actions to solve Africa's fertilizer crisis.