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Rabat – Speaking to MWN on the sidelines of the 2022 Pan-African Hybrid RSIF Conference, OCP Africa’s Head of Research & Development Aniss Bouraqqadi detailed some of the organization’s planned projects to propel all aspects of development in Africa.
OCP Africa is using scientific evidence in conjunction with new artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to advance projects focused around improving soil and crop quality, as well as other projects to improve the value chain of agriculture across Africa.
“We know that it’s a chance, an opportunity for Africa to leverage all that is happening in terms of artificial intelligence,” Bouraqqadi said, before detailing the importance of science and technology in OCP’s digital soil mapping project.
“Knowing about your soil is essential to be able to develop customized solutions adapted to the needs of the soils and the plants,” he continued.
He went on to detail how the technology can benefit the entire agricultural value chain, by anticipating customers’ needs and mapping methods to meet those needs in time.
Digital platforms can also be helpful in providing training, information, and marketing, he said, adding that all those aspects are necessary for the continent’s digital transformation.
OCP Africa was created in 2016 in order to “address the agricultural challenges in Africa,” investing in several projects across the continent in partnership with Moroccan and African institutions.
The organization describes its vision as focused on including smallholder farmers in their ecosystem, with a farmer-centric model that delivers customized products.
Speaking on the importance of socio-economic equality in the continent, Bouraqqadi concluded by affirming that the inclusion of women in agriculture is key to OCP Africa’s ambitions.
The RSIF scholarship program boasts that close to 40% of its scholars are female, well above the global average, and has cited gender equality as one major challenge facing the continent in the recent Pan-African Hybrid conference held at UM6P.
Read also: RSIF Conference: Scientific Research Critical to African Development
