Analysing Power Dynamics and Scaling Potential of the Proposed Ghana Fertilizer Platform
Date
2021
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Abstract
The fertilizer sector plays a major role in crop production. The organization and structuring of the sector is vital to sustaining food systems and shrinking the level of food insecurity. To tackle challenges in the fertilizer value chain, the Government of Ghana aims to establish a Fertilizer Platform Ghana (FPG). This study was conducted to anticipate potential issues arising from power relations and dominance, which will be critical for the sustainability and effectiveness of the platform at scale. Data from 20 key stakeholders were gathered through interviews. Scaling analysis and stakeholder power analysis were done to generate insights from these data. The scaling analysis was used to determine the scaling potential of the FPG and the fertilizer value chain, while the stakeholder power analysis helped identify stakeholders' decision-making power and its basis. The findings revealed that the platform is scalable, but its efficiency and sustainability could be constrained by insecure funding, data credibility, value chain disorganization, lack of collaboration, and leadership. Scaling the fertilizer value chain through the FPG will highly depend on the platform's fit in the local context, private sector critical stakeholders' adoption rate, knowledge institutions' contribution to building a science-based platform, and support from the public sector and its agencies. The pace of development of the fertilizer sector is under command of the public sector, mainly due to its high influence over data and information sources and its total control of the subsidy program, which drives the fertilizer market.The study concluded that the fertilizer value chain could be scaled through the FPG by taking the pathway of a public-private partnership, empowering less powerful actors, and creating a level playing field for all stakeholders within the platform to ensure representativeness and catalyze the development of the fertilizer sector
Description
Keywords
Fertilizers
Citation
Diene, P.P., P.S. Bindraban, A. Laamari, W. Adzawla, Y. Iddrisu, and W.K. Atakora. 2021. Power Dynamics and Scaling Potential of the Proposed Ghana Fertilizer Platform. IFDC FERARI Research Report No. 8.