WAFA at the Core of West Africa’s New Strategic Vision for a Sustainable and Integrated Fertilizer Industry
📰 WAFA at the Heart of West Africa’s New Fertilizer Strategy: Toward a Shared Fertility Sovereignty
🟩 1. General Introduction
From October 9 to 10, 2025, Lomé hosted the Regional Strategic Alignment and Vision-Sharing Workshop on the Fertilizer Sector in West Africa, under the auspices of the UEMOA Commission, with technical support from Performances Group.
This important gathering was part of the UEMOA 2040 Vision, which seeks to transform regional natural resources—particularly phosphate—into levers of growth and agricultural sovereignty.
The West African Fertilizer Association (WAFA) played an active role, reaffirming its position as a strategic partner of regional institutions in designing and implementing forthcoming structural reforms: a regional purchasing hub, industrial and logistical clusters, a guarantee fund, and market integration mechanisms.
Beyond its technical expertise, WAFA is asserting itself as a unifying actor, carrying a shared vision: the establishment of an integrated, sustainable, and sovereign regional fertilizer market—a cornerstone for West Africa’s food security.
🟩 2. Key Insights from the Working Groups
Five thematic workshops helped identify major levers for transforming the fertilizer sector within the UEMOA region.
Group 1: Toward the Establishment of a Regional Fertilizer Purchasing Hub
Discussions centered on creating a regional purchasing hub based on a public–private model, involving governments, producers, distributors, and financial institutions.
WAFA was recognized as a key player in facilitating access to finance and ensuring technical and institutional credibility.
Main recommendation: Relaunch the common purchasing hub project, building on the 2017 feasibility study.
Group 2: Development of Industrial and Logistical Fertilizer Clusters
The group highlighted the importance of linking existing industrial hubs in Togo and Senegal with emerging ones, particularly San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire).
Recommendations included:
- Establishing a functional connection between clusters, purchasing hubs, and blenders;
- Harmonizing the Common External Tariff (CET) and trade regulations;
- Promoting proximity between blenders and producers to improve accessibility, traceability, and customization of fertilizers.
Group 3: Soil Knowledge and Tailored Formulations
Participants discussed updated soil fertility maps and nutrient profiles across several UEMOA member states (Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Mali, Niger, Togo).
They emphasized the need to mutualize data from initiatives such as OCP Africa to enhance regional agricultural planning.
WAFA could play a pivotal role as a technical bridge between producers and distributors, ensuring better alignment between fertilizer production and actual soil needs.
Groups 4 and 5: Characterization and Certification of Phosphate Reserves
These groups focused on the need to certify and valorize West Africa’s phosphate reserves.
Key recommendations included:
- Creating a Regional Phosphate Exploration Fund (FREP-UEMOA);
- Declaring phosphate a strategic resource within UEMOA;
- Promoting technical and financial cooperation between member states;
- Encouraging local transformation to maximize regional value addition.
🟩 3. A Strategic Sector Serving the UEMOA Vision 2040
The White Paper “Phosphates–Fertilizers in UEMOA: An Integrated Industry by 2040”, presented during the workshop, outlines an ambitious and inclusive roadmap built around three strategic priorities:
- Knowledge – Strengthening soil data and local technical expertise;
- Competitiveness – Structuring three regional industrial hubs;
- Market Integration – Harmonizing trade regulations and improving logistics.
As emphasized by Sédab Moulaye Kandé, a prominent WAFA member and key voice in the fertilizer industry:
“West Africa must no longer remain a consumer market for fertilizers. It must become a hub of production, transformation, and technical expertise.”
This statement reflects WAFA’s long-standing mission: promoting a fertilizer sovereignty based on knowledge, cooperation, and local value creation.
🟩 4. WAFA’s Strategic Contribution
Represented by Mr. Lambert Nayante, Director of CALAFI SARL (Togo) and an active WAFA member, the association reaffirmed its commitment as a technical and institutional partner in the regional development of the fertilizer sector.
In his remarks, Mr. Nayante underlined:
“The sustainability of the fertilizer sector depends on an integrated approach that connects research, production, distribution, and capacity building. West Africa has the potential to become a model of fertilizer sovereignty.”
Through its initiatives in knowledge sharing, institutional advocacy, and capacity development, WAFA continues to strengthen its role as a bridge between states, development partners, and the private sector.
🟩 5. Conclusion: A New Era of Regional Collaboration
The Lomé workshop marked a decisive step toward coordinated governance of the fertilizer sector in West Africa.
With its technical credibility, member network, and integrative vision, WAFA is increasingly recognized as a catalyst for regional convergence between governments, donors, and industry stakeholders.
WAFA extends its gratitude to the UEMOA Commission, and all institutional partners for this inclusive and forward-looking initiative.
A special acknowledgment goes to Mr. Lambert Nayante, for his outstanding representation and continued dedication to advancing WAFA’s mission and visibility in regional forums.