OCP Group of Morocco and Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Ghana have signed two agreements to develop Ghana’s agri sector according to a press release of the company. Founded on August 7, 1920 in Morocco and transformed into a limited company (OCP SA) in 2008, OCP has emerged as one of the leading exporters of phosphate rock, phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizers in the world. .OCP Africa was established in 2016, and works closely with farmers to support the continent’s vast agricultural potential.
The signing of the agreements took place during the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), held in Accra, from September 3 – 6. The first cooperation agreement covers farmer-centric activities, soil mapping, innovation and digital farmer registration, etc. The second agreement which is a Term Sheet for the industrial project, aims at strengthening key aspects of the development of Ghanaian agriculture and industry. Prior to these agreements, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September 2018, between the two sides for improving the fertilizer value chain to supply “customized fertilizers at competitive prices to Ghanaian farmers.”During the signing ceremony of the agreements, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, stated that as an outcome of the co-operation with OCP group, Ghana increased its fertilizers consumption from 8 kg/ha to 20 kg/ha in two years, creating a significant benefit for small farmers.
Accra also hosted in August the first stage of the African tour of the OCP IMPULSE program developed by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), to support start-ups and active agri-entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, among others. OCP’s project to build a fertilizer production plant, in the western part of Ghana, announced in September 2018, will be completed in 2024 as per official sources. Based on the raw materials of Morocco and Ghana, namely phosphate and gas, the plant will have a production capacity of one million tons.
