Nigeria Commits to Boosting Soil Health for Food Security

Nigeria, Africa’s fourth-largest economy and a key food producer, is launching the Presidential Soil Health Initiative to strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture.

Spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and backed by technical partners like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the initiative aims to revolutionize soil fertility management and boost national sustainable food production.

The Presidential Soil Health Initiative follows years of joint technical efforts between IITA – a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to address Africa’s pressing hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation – and the FMAFS.

The IITA, through the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel, is part of the National Technical Committee supporting the vision of the FMAFS, the principal government institution responsible for formulating and implementing national policies and programs aimed at ensuring food security, enhancing productivity, and promoting sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.

“IITA, through the Regional Hub is actively engaged with FMAFS, at the strategic level to discuss plans for the country and at the ground level where soil sampling activities are underway, alongside our work on the formulation of new fertilizers adapted to specific crops such as maize and rice,” said Axel Lionel Kadja, Director, Regional Hub. “IITA remains committed to generating agricultural innovations to combat malnutrition, poverty, and hunger across Africa.”

Dr. Kadja noted that, in line with the Nairobi Declaration, the Presidential Soil Health Initiative signals political commitment at the highest level to position soil health and fertilizer management as national priorities linked to food security, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods.

The Presidential Soil Health Initiative facilitates investment in soil mapping, testing laboratories, and extension services while promoting policy reforms aligning subsidies with sustainable and efficient fertilizer use in Nigeria.

Dr. Kadja said the Regional Hub is designed to be the technical backbone of soil health and fertilizer use for West Africa and the Sahel.

“With the Presidential Initiative in Nigeria, the Hub gains a visible champion that elevates soil health from a technical agenda to a political one,” said Dr. Kadja. “It creates demand and urgency for the Hub’s outputs — from digital soil maps and fertilizer recommendations to lab standards. Nigeria’s example helps the Hub catalyze momentum across ECOWAS, showing that regional cooperation can deliver tangible national benefits.”

As a strategic partner in the Presidential Soil Health Initiative, the Hub is leveraging scientific knowledge, technological innovation and regional synergies to address challenges in soil fertility management, fertilizer efficiency, and the development of sustainable agricultural systems.

Launched in 2024 as a sub-program of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Regional Hub brings together diverse stakeholders, including IITA, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), OCP Africa, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), and the World Bank through the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project.

The Regional Hub provides technical assistance for developing and implementing ongoing and new fertilizer- and soil health-related investments across West Africa. One of its key functions is to develop site-specific fertilizer recommendations tailored to local soil conditions and crop needs, using high-quality agronomic datasets and cutting-edge data science techniques. These recommendations align with the principles of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) and the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship, right source, correct rate, right time, and right place, to support climate-smart, efficient, and sustainable agriculture across the region.

The Hub’s commitments include working with FMAFS to strengthen soil health and fertilizer management systems in Nigeria, while building national capacity through applied research, data systems, and policy support.

 About the Regional Hub

The Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel is a collaborative initiative promoting soil health and sustainable fertilizer use across the region. Launched in 2024 as a sub-program of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Hub brings together diverse stakeholders, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), OCP Africa, African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), and the World Bank through the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project under CGIAR.