BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has left the country for Kenya to be part of the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit.
The Prime Minister jetted off today morning through the King Mswati III International Airport. He has gone to that summit to represent His Majesty the King and the entire nation. The summit is expected to start tomorrow.
The aim of the meeting is to highlight the importance of fertiliser on soil in order for Africans to be able to maximise their agricultural production. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, the Government of that country will host the summit from May 7 to 9, 2024 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya.
This is an African Union meeting which will bring together the African Heads of State and Government, Ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, high-ranking government officials, senior policy makers and private -sector players. Other participants will include representatives of farmers organizations and development agencies, including NGOs, scholars and scientists, and representatives of leading donor organizations.
The objective of the Summit is to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture and to agree on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan as well as the Soils Initiative for Africa.
According to the African Union (AU) website, it is expected that a 10-year Action Plan, to be endorsed, which will deliver concrete recommendations for steps to be taken by African leaders and stakeholders over the next 10 years. The Action Plan will provide a focus for new policies and investments that will enable farmers to work toward re-building soil health and ultimately increase yield responses and profitability of fertilizers. It is also expected that the Action Plan will be endorsed by leading private and public sector partners across all African countries, with the following:
1. Nairobi Declaration
2. 10-year Action Plan
3. Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA)
4. Mechanism to finance the Action Plan (post-Summit implementation process).
