The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has officially inaugurated the Steering and Technical Committees of the Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub in Nairobi, marking a key step towards strengthening soil health, improving fertilizer use and enhancing food security across the region.
The inaugural meeting, hosted by the Government of Kenya on June 22, also included a learning visit and brought together experts and partners to operationalise the regional hub following its endorsement by IGAD Ministers responsible for Agriculture and Food Security in September 2025.
The meeting builds on previous regional initiatives, including the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit held in Nairobi in May 2024 and the IGAD Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) regional hub write-shop held later that year.
Evelyne Heyi, Assistant Director at the State Department for Agriculture, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of Dr. Caroline Kundu, saying the Hub will provide a regional platform for addressing soil fertility challenges while strengthening food security and resilience across the IGAD region.
“The endorsement marked a decisive step towards building a regional platform that will tackle soil fertility challenges, strengthen food security and enhance resilience in the IGAD region, and gave the green light to move forward with operationalisation of the Hub,” the speech read.
According to IGAD, the Hub will manage regional coordination aimed at sustainable soil management using scientific methods, enhance systems of data sharing and knowledge dissemination, and encourage good policies and use of fertilizers in the member states.
The Steering and Technical Committees will endorse the governance structure of the Hub, adopt its implementation strategy, and create an action plan for two years to govern its activities.
This initiative is consistent with the commitments made at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in which the African Heads of State adopted the Nairobi Declaration on Fertilizer and Soil Health and the Soil Initiative for Africa framework.
Some of the commitments include increased production and supply of organic and inorganic fertilizers up to 2034, restoration of degraded soils, building capacities at the national level concerning soil health management, and extension services for smallholder farmers.
Dr. Kundu said the Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub will focus on six priority areas, including policy and advocacy, capacity strengthening, soil information systems, research and innovation, markets and trade, and resource mobilisation through partnerships.
She also highlighted Kenya’s progress in implementing continental commitments through the Agricultural Soil Management Policy, 2023, and the Kenya Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (2026–2035).
As per Dr. Kundu, the action plan contains interventions relating to fertilizer management, soil health, regulatory reform, soil information systems, markets, and capacity building of institutions.
Its implementation will be phased in three ways starting from programme initiation and institution building from 2026 to 2027, full implementation from 2028 to 2030 and scale-up of successful interventions from 2031 to 2035.
In the speech, Dr. Kundu reaffirmed the government’s support towards the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and requested cooperation among member countries and partners of IGAD in the sustainable soil health management in the region.
READ ALSO: Somalia’s Ratification of the IGAD Treaty Moves the Region Beyond the Two-Thirds Threshold
