Dr Bocar Diagana (inset) speaking at the event

Photo: Godwin Ofosu Acheampong

The International Fertilizer Devel­opment Center (IFDC) has held its 2024 open door event in Accra to mark the 50th anniversary of the centre.

The event showcased IFDC’s innova­tive technologies in support of Ghana’s agricultural agenda and also sought to strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders in the agricul­tural sector.

It is celebrated under the theme “50 years of developing agriculture from the ground up.”

The Director-in-charge of Enabling Impact Programmes at IFDC, Dr Bocar Diagana said, his outfit was dedicated to promot­ing relevant technologies, soil fertility management, crop productivity, agricul­tural value chains, market information systems and supportive policy on both public and private sector development in the agricultural sector.

He said the centre was committed to supporting the agricultural transforma­tion agenda in Ghana and across the continent, adding that “our mission is rooted in empowering farmers, enhanc­ing soil fertility, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring food security for all.”

He mentioned that, IFDC was cur­rently implementing four projects in the country which includes 2SCALE, a programme that incubates and accel­erates inclusive business through part­nerships with companies, the Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implemen­tation( FERARI), a public-private programme that inte­grates an on-the-ground implementation pro­gramme to develop the fertilizer value chain with trans-disciplinary research.

Also, the IFDC, Dr Diagana said, had implemented the feed the future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (EnGRAIS) project which aims to increase the availability and use of fertilizers for smallholder farmers, focusing on wom­en and the youth.

The final project, according to Dr Diag­ana was the AfricaFertilizer initiative, a premier source for fertilizer statistics in Africa.

The Global Corporate Communica­tions Manager, Mr James Thigpen said the centre had reached nearly 150 countries with new technologies, train­ings and pro-agriculture policies while researching and developing more than 50 innovations in soil health, research, nutrient delivery and market access.

The Vice President of Programmes, Dr Oumou Camara said in order to ad­dress agricultural challenges regarding fertilizer and soil health, there was the need for collaboration to develop and deploy innovative tools and technolo­gies to improve the capacity of the soil to produce food.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu