Auda-Nepad, Norway forge alliance to enhance Africa's soil health

The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (Auda-Nepad) has partnered with the government of Norway to assist the African Union (AU) member states in improving their soil in order to maximise production for sustainable food systems across Africa.The partnership was announced at the conclusion of the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.The three-year programme is designed to support AU member states in implementing the resolutions of the summit, including Namibia.The launch, held on the margins of the meeting, aligns with the summit&#039;s focus on investing in healthy soils for healthy diets, healthy people and a healthy planet. This is to help member states fight natural disasters, which include but are not limited to droughts and floods. Just recently, hundreds of people in Kenya lost their lives due to heavy rains.Estherine Lisinge-Fotabong, director of agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability at Auda-Nepad, said during an interview with AU media fellows that the initiative aims to leverage policy, practice, and research to effectively manage soil health and advance agricultural sustainability in Africa.Lisinge-Fotabong emphasised the importance of the partnership in facilitating the domestication of the summit resolutions by AU Member States. Critical partnershipNamibia’s deputy minister of agriculture, Anna Shiweda, said the country remains among those who have not reached the 50 kg/ha fertiliser consumption as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration.Shiweda said the soils in Namibia are generally sandy and poor in terms of organic content. She said 70% of the Namibian farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, and for the past seven to nine years, the country has been experiencing severe droughts.Norway&#039;s international development minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim highlighted the significance of the partnership in implementing summit outcomes.“The partnership with Auda-Nepad is deemed critical in achieving meaningful impact on the ground, particularly in optimising data and information for active monitoring and evaluation of policies and farming practices&#039; impact on soil health," Tvinnereim said.tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

Auda-Nepad, Norway forge alliance to enhance Africa's soil health

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-28

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Auda-Nepad, Norway forge alliance to enhance Africa's soil health

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-28

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