The decision taken in May 2024 by African heads of state to triple fertiliser production and distribution by 2034 marks a turning point. The issue is no longer just importing mineral inputs, but also developing locally produced green fertilisers to restore exhausted soils and reduce a dependency that has become strategic.In the Nairobi Declaration from the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, states commit to tripling domestic production and distribution of certified fertilisers by 2034. Prioritising locally available raw materials and combining organic and mineral fertilisers.

“Enriched composts and biofertilisers are no longer a “nice-to-have” organic extra but a pillar of a soil-sovereignty strategy in Africa.” — Synthesis of research in West Africa, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Why green fertilisers are back in the spotlight

Green fertilisers include composts, upgraded manures, cover crops, microbial biofertilisers and other organic amendments designed to feed soils before feeding plants. They address a twin African emergency: compensating for low mineral fertiliser use per hectare and halting soil fertility degradation, which is dragging down agricultural productivity.

Researchers point out that, despite the African Union’s objective to raise fertiliser application rates, the use of chemical fertilisers in Sub-Saharan Africa remains far below global averages, leaving large annual nutrient losses in soils. At the same time, a report coordinated by AKADEMIYA2063 shows that mineral fertiliser production in Africa more than doubled between the early 2000s and 2023, but is concentrated in a handful of countries and largely export-oriented, leaving farmers in the rest of the continent exposed to price shocks and logistics bottlenecks. This configuration makes investment in locally produced green fertilisers increasingly unavoidable.

Imported dependence that inflates every kilogram of nitrogen

The fertiliser price crisis since 2021 has exposed the vulnerability of a model centred on importing urea, DAP or NPK through a few seaports, followed by costly road transport into the hinterland.

Analysis by AKADEMIYA2063 and IFPRI recalls that it can cost around 160 US dollars to move a tonne of fertiliser from Mombasa or Dar es Salaam to Kigali, adding roughly 45 % to the final retail price paid by farmers in landlocked countries. African states acknowledge in the Nairobi Declaration that most countries remain heavily dependent on imported fertilisers, particularly non-phosphate-based ones, which exposes them to international market volatility. For agricultural bankers and input investors, this logistics arithmetic directly strengthens the case for fertilising solutions produced close to the main production basins.

Green fertilisers do not fully replace mineral fertilisers, but they make it possible to smooth import needs, better valorise locally available organic nutrients and support production systems that are less sensitive to global supply shocks.

What local production experiments with green fertilisers show

Several recent studies document the still embryonic but real rise of composts, biofertilisers and other off-farm organic fertilisers in different African countries.

A survey covering twelve African countries finds that production of organic fertilisers from waste (composts, biofertilisers) remains limited, although countries such as Nigeria have capacities in the hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year, while Cameroon, Malawi or Rwanda remain below a few thousand tonnes. The same document identifies around twenty companies producing biofertilisers in the case-study countries but notes that most biofertiliser products marketed in Sub-Saharan Africa are still imported and not always adapted to local conditions.

Agronomic trials nevertheless confirm the potential of these solutions. A study on sorghum in West Africa shows that locally made composts based on sorghum residues, Burkina phosphate rock and poultry manure improve soil structure, phosphorus availability and grain yields, while delivering better economic returns than some conventional chemical fertilisers. Combined with lower doses of mineral inputs, such organo-mineral green fertilisers offer a realistic pathway to reconcile input sovereignty with sustainable intensification.

Livestock manure is another largely underused resource. FAO estimates cited by AKADEMIYA2063 indicate that the nitrogen contained in livestock manure in Africa rose from about 19 million tonnes in 2000 to nearly 34 million tonnes in 2023, with East Africa accounting for the largest share of this resource. The paradox is that this potential nitrogen mass is often poorly collected, poorly stored and rarely transformed into marketable fertilisers.

Regulation, subsidies and standards: constraints to unlock

Local production of green fertilisers is not just about technology or biomass availability; it also hinges on a suitable regulatory framework and economic incentives.

The assessment for twelve African countries shows that organic waste recycling is rarely a policy priority: specific waste laws are missing in many cases, enforcement is weak and incentive schemes for composting or biofertilisers are limited. There are, however, notable exceptions: South Africa adopted a National Organic Waste Composting Strategy in 2013, Kenya passed a Sustainable Waste Management Act in 2022, and Senegal introduced subsidies for organic fertilisers from 2021 onwards, increasing supported volumes the following year.

Subsidies are central for both investors and states. The authors stress that most African countries heavily subsidise mineral fertilisers but much less organic ones, even though countries like Ghana have started to purchase a large share of compost output from local firms and distribute it through national subsidy programmes. As long as public schemes remain focused on imported mineral inputs, the price competitiveness of green fertilisers will remain fragile.

Harmonising standards is another critical workstream. The African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) adopted an African Organic Fertilizer Standard in 2020, while ECOWAS has had a regional fertiliser regulation including organic fertilisers since 2012, but not all countries have yet adopted or aligned their national standards. For private biofertiliser players, the lack of clear rules on product registration and quality control slows investment in regional-scale production units.

What business model to scale up local production?

Recent policy decisions nevertheless open windows of opportunity to build a genuine green-fertiliser industry at African scale.

The Nairobi Declaration plans to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to double intra-African fertiliser trade by 2034, while encouraging states to provide incentives for local production, support small and medium blending and composting enterprises, and operationalise a dedicated fertiliser and soil-health financing mechanism. In parallel, the “Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor” underlines the importance of diversifying input sources and boosting regional fertiliser trade as a response to geopolitical shocks and concentrated global suppliers.

For banks and investors, the challenge is to identify the most promising links in the chain: regional composting platforms using urban market waste, biofertiliser plants anchored in research institutes, integrated livestock–crop value chains systematically valorising manure, or “phospho-compost” projects around phosphate deposits and cereal hubs.

The coming years will be shaped by three concrete tests: states’ ability to rebalance subsidies towards green fertilisers, effective implementation of ARSO and ECOWAS standards into national regulations, and private actors’ capacity to design profitable business models in markets that are still largely informal.

Key takeaways

• The surge in logistics costs for mineral fertilisers and the concentration of production in a few countries strengthen the economic case for locally produced green fertilisers.
• Field evidence on phosphate-enriched composts and manure valorisation shows tangible agronomic and economic gains when green fertilisers complement mineral inputs.
• Public policies remain heavily skewed towards subsidies for chemical fertilisers, but countries such as Ghana, Senegal and South Africa are starting to build a more favourable framework for organic fertilisers.
• Harmonised regional standards (ARSO, ECOWAS) and the Nairobi Declaration agenda create space for industrial investment in African biofertilisers and composts.
• For investors, the most promising opportunities sit at interfaces: urban waste–agriculture, livestock–crops, and phosphate-mining hubs–composting platforms.