Build shared regional stores of grain and fertiliser, paid for by Africa
Why this matters
About 80% of the fertiliser used in sub-Saharan Africa is imported. A 10% fall in supply could cut maize, rice and wheat harvests by up to 25%. After the Strait of Hormuz closed, urea, the most common nitrogen fertiliser, reached $850 a tonne in April 2026. Farmers in Ghana, Kenya and Morocco cut their use. Meanwhile, Nigerian urea was selling for about $492 a tonne by September. African supply did not reach African farmers.
African supply is growing. The Dangote plant in Lagos makes 3 million tonnes of urea a year and plans to make 9 million, backed by $600 million from the Africa Finance Corporation. Morocco and Egypt supply about 70% of Africa's fertiliser exports.
Governments have already asked for this. On 29 May 2026, ministers of the Southern African Development Community () met in Victoria Falls. They called for regional stores of cereals and fertiliser, and for joint buying of fertiliser. The World Bank and the African Development Bank recommend buying fertiliser together, to win better prices and reduce the risk of export bans.
Sources for this section (9)
- AfDB and World Bank: fertiliser imports, the risk to harvests and joint buying (opens in a new tab)
- World Bank: urea prices after the Strait of Hormuz closed (opens in a new tab)
- IFDC: farmers in Ghana, Kenya and Morocco, and Nigerian urea prices (opens in a new tab)
- Africa Finance Corporation: the Dangote fertiliser expansion (opens in a new tab)
- ISS: Morocco's and Egypt's share of African fertiliser exports (opens in a new tab)
- CITE: SADC ministers call for regional reserves (opens in a new tab)
- AfDB: the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (opens in a new tab)
- ECOWAS: the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger (opens in a new tab)
- ARAA: the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve, its stock, releases and funding (opens in a new tab)
Four levels of action
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What Africa asks of the world
There is no outside ask, because this is an African decision. The West African reserve shows that when a donor pays, the donor's budget decides how big the reserve can be. The stock must therefore be paid for from African budgets and banks.
- Who
- Not applicable
- When
- Not applicable
-
What the African Union does
The African Development Bank runs the for the , and the fund holds about $36.9 million. In the 2024 Nairobi Declaration, African leaders ordered it to be made fully operational. The Bank adds a window to this fund to buy stock for regional reserves, working with the through .
- Who
- The African Development Bank and the AU Commission
- When
- Designed by September 2027
-
What regional groups do
SADC builds a reserve, using the mandate its ministers gave in May 2026. The Economic Community of West African States () expands the reserve it has run since 2016. That reserve has released grain to Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which left ECOWAS on 29 January 2025. ECOWAS and the three countries must agree whether they keep access and pay in, or hold a separate stock.
- Who
- SADC and ECOWAS
- When
- SADC design by March 2027; access for the three settled by December 2027; release rules and first payments by the 2028 SADC summit
-
Which country goes first, and why
Zambia goes first for grain. Its Food Reserve Agency holds 1 million tonnes and already sells to neighbours in direct deals between governments. Nigeria goes first for fertiliser. It makes urea at scale and already pays into the African Development Bank's fertiliser fund.
- Who
- Zambia's Food Reserve Agency; Nigeria's government and its urea makers
- When
- Offers of stock and supply contracts by June 2027
Before another country can do this
- A national reserve agency with working storage
- Payments to the reserve written into the national budget
- Agreed rules for releasing stock when a shock hits several countries at once
- Quality checks on stored grain and fertiliser
What does not carry over from the first country
- Zambia's stock comes from a year of surplus.
- Nigeria's urea is made from its own natural gas.
Who else is ready
| Country | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Morocco | With Egypt, it supplies about 70% of Africa's fertiliser exports. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Egypt | It is the other main African exporter of fertiliser. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Ethiopia | It imports over 90% of its fertiliser and plans a $4 billion urea plant at Gode. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
| Tanzania | Its reserve agency planned to sell about 1 million tonnes of grain in 2025 and 2026. | Source (opens in a new tab) |
Has this worked before?
ECOWAS set up a Regional Food Security Reserve in 2013, and it began work in 2016. By the end of 2024 it held 74,162 tonnes of cereals. It had acted 24 times, releasing about 65,000 tonnes to Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali. Most of its money came from the , so its size depends on a donor. Source (opens in a new tab)
ARAA: the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve
First steps
- African Unionthe African Development Bank proposes a window in its fertiliser fund to buy stock for regional reserves, by September 2027.
- Regional groupsSADC agriculture ministers ask the secretariat to design the reserve on the ECOWAS model by March 2027. ECOWAS and the three Sahel states settle access to the West African reserve by December 2027. SADC members agree release rules and make first payments by the 2028 SADC summit.
- Zambia and NigeriaZambia's Food Reserve Agency offers part of its stock as the first SADC holding, and Nigeria offers supply contracts for urea, by June 2027.
Who acts, and with what
- Who leads
- SADC and ECOWAS, with the African Development Bank; Zambia and Nigeria go first
- Instrument
- Shared stocks and a credit line, with agreed rules for release
- How progress is checked
- The reserve is used in a year of crisis, and releases reach farmers before planting
- Signal to change course
- Countries ban exports in the next crisis
- What stands in the way
- Storage is costly and grain can spoil. Countries will argue over release rules when several are hit at once. A reserve paid for by donors shrinks when aid falls.
- Cost and money
- The cost of a SADC reserve is not yet known. The European Union committed about 94 million euros, over several phases, to the ECOWAS reserve. For the new reserves, member states and African banks pay.
Who else contributes
| Who | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Zambia's Food Reserve Agency and other reserve agencies | Manage storage and releases |
| Fertiliser makers in Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt | Supply stock under long-term contracts |
| Afreximbank and the African Development Bank | Provide a credit line that is repaid and lent again |
| Traders | Sell and replace stock so that grain does not spoil |
| Farmer organisations | Advise on timing and distribution |
What each audience can do
AU and regional bodies
What you can doAgree the rules of the reserve
What you gainA region that can absorb shocks together
Governments
What you can doPut yearly payments to the reserve in the national budget
What you gainCheaper protection against shocks
Business and investors
What you can doSupply and manage stock under contract
What you gainSteady demand
Social entrepreneurs
What you can doBuild storage and distribution services
What you gainA new market in moving and storing food
NGOs and civil society
What you can doCheck that stock is released fairly in a crisis
What you gainFood that reaches the people who need it
The briefings behind this
El Niño
A warming of the Pacific Ocean every few years that changes weather worldwide. In southern Africa it usually brings drought, and in the Horn of Africa it often brings floods.
Our recommendation on thisFood and agriculture briefingGlossary
SADC
The Southern African Development Community, 16 states from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa.
Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism
A fund run by the African Development Bank, set up by African Union leaders in 2006. It helps pay for making, buying and delivering fertiliser in Africa, and holds about $36.9 million from African governments and donors.
Food and agriculture briefingGlossarySource: afdb.org (opens in a new tab)
African Union (AU)
The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup.
African Union Commission
The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out.
CAADP and the Kampala Declaration
The African Union's plan for farming and food. The Kampala Declaration sets its goals for 2026 to 2035.
ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left it in January 2025.
Alliance of Sahel States
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, each ruled by a military government after a coup. They formed their own alliance and left ECOWAS in January 2025. The African Union has suspended them.
European Union (EU)
A union of 27 European countries with shared laws, a single market and a large aid budget.
Words used on this page
- El Niño
- A warming of the Pacific Ocean every few years that changes weather worldwide. In southern Africa it usually brings drought, and in the Horn of Africa it often brings floods. Our recommendation on this · Food and agriculture briefing · Glossary
- SADC
- The Southern African Development Community, 16 states from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa. Glossary · Source: sadc.int
- Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism
- A fund run by the African Development Bank, set up by African Union leaders in 2006. It helps pay for making, buying and delivering fertiliser in Africa, and holds about $36.9 million from African governments and donors. Food and agriculture briefing · Glossary · Source: afdb.org
- African Union (AU)
- The organisation of 55 African states, based in Addis Ababa. Its heads of state meet each February. It can suspend members after a coup. Glossary · Source: au.int
- African Union Commission
- The African Union's secretariat. It prepares decisions for heads of state and carries them out. Glossary
- CAADP and the Kampala Declaration
- The African Union's plan for farming and food. The Kampala Declaration sets its goals for 2026 to 2035. Food and agriculture briefing · Glossary
- ECOWAS
- The Economic Community of West African States. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left it in January 2025. Politics and governance briefing · Glossary
- Alliance of Sahel States
- Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, each ruled by a military government after a coup. They formed their own alliance and left ECOWAS in January 2025. The African Union has suspended them. Politics and governance briefing · Glossary
- European Union (EU)
- A union of 27 European countries with shared laws, a single market and a large aid budget. Glossary