The Soil Values program was featured prominently at the 2025 Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum Annual Summit, held August 31-September 5 in Dakar, Senegal. The summit provided a dynamic platform to strengthen existing partnerships and spark new collaborations for sustainable agricultural development.
Soil Values participated by sharing its goals, joining in high-level ministerial meetings, hosting a dedicated side event, and signing a new partnership agreement, underscoring its vital role in shaping the future of African agriculture.
The AFS Forum Annual Summit underscored that soil health is at the heart of Africa’s agricultural transformation, with its challenges in fertility demanding collaboration, expertise, and urgent action.
“No single organization can achieve the ambitious goals that have been set. Only by working together can we ensure sustainable food security.”
Oumou Camara, IFDC Vice President of Global Programs
Expressing the program’s goals, Asseta Diallo, Senior Specialist of Soil Health and Integrated Management at AGRA and Convening Lead for the Soil Values program, described the innovative Soil Values approach to such challenges saying, “Each partner brings valuable expertise. Our goal is to raise awareness among all stakeholders in the agriculture sector about the crucial importance of soil health. This is a complex, multidimensional issue that requires significant resources.”
Soil Values Program Director Eric Smaling brought attention to the urgency of addressing soil degradation in the face of population growth, noting that “Increasing yields means ensuring better profitability for producers. Africa is undergoing rapid demographic change, which is creating a huge market for agriculture. Soil Values intends to support this transformation.”
Reinforcing a commitment to strengthening partnerships that advance soil health and fertility across the Sahel, the IFDC management team and the Soil Values leadership team held high-level discussions with several ministers, including the Honorable Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Nigeria; the Honorable Eric Opoku, Minister of Agriculture of Ghana; and Colonel Elhadj Ousmane Mahaman, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Niger, exchanging insights on strategies to boost agricultural productivity.
These discussions presented the opportunity for Soil Values to reveal its progress in key program countries, including Niger and Nigeria, as well as Ghana, a strategic partner country. Focus areas included strengthening producer capacity, sharing innovative agricultural technologies, and collaborating with government agencies to address soil health and fertility challenges effectively on the ground.
During one of these meetings, IFDC President and CEO Henk van Duijn emphasized the importance of all stakeholders working together toward common goals of soil health and sustainability: “If we want to increase agricultural production with less land available, it is essential to improve soil fertility together.”
IFDC Vice President of Global Programs Oumou Camara echoed van Duijn’s sentiment saying, “As a key actor in the agriculture sector, our presence at this forum aims to share our expertise, present our programs, promote best practices, and learn from others. No single organization can achieve the ambitious goals that have been set. Only by working together can we ensure sustainable food security.”
In addition to individual ministers, IFDC and Soil Values leadership engaged with representatives from leading organizations and programs in the sector, including the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health, the Gates Foundation, Rio Tinto, CARE International, and others. Forging and strengthening strategic partnerships such as these to advance sustainable agriculture across the Sahel is an ongoing goal for Soil Values.
The program also hosted its own standout side event at the summit. “From the Ground Up: Scaling Soil Health Solutions for Planet and People” showcased Soil Values’ specialized strategy for restoring degraded land and boosting food security across West Africa. The event celebrated collaboration and demonstrated how innovative soil health solutions can benefit people and the planet.
Among the distinguished guests was Carmen Hagenaars, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Senegal, who expressed the Netherlands’ steadfast support for the Soil Values program as it works toward sustainable agricultural land management in the Sahel.
During the side event, Alain Sy Traoré, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, emphasized the importance of programs such as Soil Values in ensuring fertile soils and healthy food.
Additionally, Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, remarked on the strategic link between soil health, food security, and the continent’s resilience.
Other notable guests took part in the side event, including Marie Claire Kalihangabo, Coordinator of the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) at the African Development Bank; Moumini Savadogo, Executive Director of CORAF; and Innocent Okuku, Director-General of the Pan-African Fertilizer Industry Association. All these speakers aligned with the Soil Values model by identifying the need for sustainable, practical solutions and effective collaboration to meet the challenges facing Africa’s agriculture sector.
This event also featured the official signing of a partnership agreement between Soil Values and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, funded by the World Bank, to advance sustainable soil fertility management.
ACReSAL National Project Coordinator Abdulhamid Umar stressed the need to work together, acknowledging supporters and noting, “Our collaboration with the Soil Values program is guided by a shared mandate. Support from international donors like the Netherlands and the World Bank is essential to tackle these challenges.”
On the sidelines of the AFS Forum Annual Summit, Soil Values strengthened partnerships with other key initiatives, including the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), represented by National Project Coordinator Sanusi Abubakar and completed a pre-signing with AFFM, coordinated by Kalihangabo.
Collaboration is key to strengthening sustainable agricultural practices, improving soil health, and boosting food security in the Sahel, and Soil Values proved its readiness to collaborate with a range of partners and local stakeholders to support these goals.
Funded by the Dutch Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), the Soil Values program is being implemented over 10 years (2024-2033), led by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), in consortium with SNV and Wageningen University and Research (WUR), as well as knowledge partners such as AGRA, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), ISRIC – World Soil Information, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
