New partnership to strengthen soil health and secure livelihoods in the Sahel

This agreement unites the Regional Hub’s technical consortium with the Soil Values Program’s implementation platform in the Sahel. Consortium partners include the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC). The collaboration aims to restore two million hectares of degraded land and strengthen the livelihoods of 1.5 million smallholder farmers in the region.

The partnership aligns with regional soil health frameworks, including the Lomé Declaration on Fertilizer and Soil Health (2023), the Nairobi Declaration (2024) and the ECOWAS Soil Health Roadmap (2023–2033). It also establishes a framework to operationalise collaboration at scale.

Under the agreement, the Regional Hub will align its 20 technical functions with the Soil Values Program’s nine strategic pillars. This enables integrated planning, shared data systems, and coordinated implementation across countries.

To date, the Regional Hub has moderated its efforts in parts of the Sahel – including Burkina Faso and Niger to avoid overlapping with Soil Values Program activities. The MoU resolves that constraint, clarifying roles and responsibilities and enabling a coordinated approach.

Focusing on shared governance, unified data systems and clear geographic roles

Under the partnership, both initiatives commit to governance, unified data systems and clear geographic roles, with the Soil Values Program leading implementation in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, northern Nigeria) and the Regional Hub providing the broader technical platform across West Africa.

Supported by a 100 million euro grant from the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), the Soil Values Program is a ten-year initiative (2024–2033) led by IFDC in partnership with SNV and Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

By leveraging over 300 million euros in private and development capital, the programme aims to shift soil health efforts from traditional aid models to sustainable investment. Seventy per cent of implementation will be delivered by local partners. This ensures ownership, resilience, and lasting outcomes. Performance-based assessments guide annual contracts and continued engagement with partners delivering results.

“One of the reasons I am particularly proud of this programme is the strength of our knowledge partners. Soil health transformation is complex and multi-dimensional, but with partners of this calibre, we have built a foundation that gives us both credibility and a strong pathway to success,” says Alain Sy Traoré, Program Director, Soil Values Program.

The Soil Values Program

Funded by DGIS, the Soil Values Program ​​addresses persistent soil fertility challenges in the Sahel region, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, northern Nigeria, strategic countries being Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. It ​​aims to strengthen soil fertility and agricultural productivity in the face of climate change with a focus on regional connectivity and strategic interventions. The programme aspires to create a lasting impact on desertification and land degradation, backing landscape management, watersheds based on participatory planning and effectively integrating soil, water and biodiversity. The Soil Values Program ​​plans to promote financial incentive instruments encouraging farmers to invest in soil health by adopting sustainable soil management practices. 
More information: www.cifor-icraf.org/project/soil-values/

The Regional Hub

The Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel is a collaborative initiative bringing together leading research, development and private-sector partners to deliver science-driven solutions for sustainable agriculture.

Via  Accelerating the Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) and International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), the Hub leverages data, soil testing and fertiliser technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency and resilience across regional food systems. With financial backing from the World Bank through CGIAR’s AICCRA project and OCP Africa, it is committed to translating research into actionable solutions for farmers and policy-makers, promoting long-term soil health, food security and sustainable development for West Africa and the Sahel.

More information: soilhealthwa.iita.org

(IITA/wi)

Further reading:

Rural 21 issue no 2/2022: "Healthy soil – healthy people – healthy planet"