Read in
OCP Africa stressed the importance of its contribution in conjunction with a Rwandan delegation visit to its collaborative venture, RFC.
Rabat – OCP Africa has renewed its determination to continue to contribute to the development of Africa’s agriculture, including in Rwanda.
Mohamed Anouar Jamali, CEO of OCP Africa, renewed the group’s determination in conjunction with the visit of a Rwandan ministerial delegation led by Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of trade as well as Ildephonse Musafiri, Minister of Agriculture to the Rwanda Fertilizer Company (RFC) in Bugesera in Rwanda.
RFC is a collaborative venture between OCP Africa, Agaciro Fund, and APTC, OCP Africa said in its statement.
“This significant visit represents a pivotal step in the production of high-quality fertilizers, commenced since August 2023, underscoring RFC’s and OCP Africa’s commitment to enhancing food security and fostering agricultural development, not only in Rwanda but also across the East Africa Region,” noted the statement.
Jamali, who is also the chairman of the RFC, emphasized the importance of the blending plant in Bugesera, stressing that the facility is not only intended for the production of fertilizers but also to have a “profound impact on the agricultural value chain of Rwanda and the region.”
He stressed OCP Africa’s commitment to contributing to the food system in the East region and Rwanda, stressing that it represents a “strategic hub” for the group.
The Bugesera blending facility covers eight hectares in the city’s industrial park. It houses a state of the art blending unit, which covers four hectares and has a production capacity of 120 tons per hour, equivalent to 100,000 tons per year.
The facility includes a 25,000 ton storage unit, a modern laboratory equipped with the latest analysis technologies for product quality control and soil analysis and characterization, and a future four-hectare pilot farm for conducting agronomic trials and training farmers.
The plant aspires to achieve a 40% increase in crop yield through customized formulas optimizing soil health, and nutrient balance, OCP added.
It is also anticipated to generate approximately 50 direct jobs and to facilitate the transfer of expertise to enhance Rwanda’s skills in the fertilizer industry.
It also seeks to contribute to a 25% increase in farmers’ income.
Managing director of RFC Anas Khanchoufi also emphasized the importance of the RFC facility, stressing that the company believes that the proper use of customized fertilizers is “one of the best ways to increase farmers’ productivity.”