Ghana to host Africa’s first sustainable phosphorus summit
By Benson Ltamely
Ghana is set to host the 8th Sustainable Phosphorus Summit (SPS8) in its capital, Accra, from September 30 – October 3, 2025 — the first time the event is being held in Africa — to address the continent’s unique challenges in managing phosphorus for agriculture.
The event which will bring together scientists, policymakers and industry leaders is jointly organised by Lancaster University, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Rothamsted Research, the Council for Scientific Research in Ghana and the Forum for Agricultural Research Africa will address urgent need for sustainable phosphorus management.
During the summit, delegates will explore strategies for closing the phosphorus loop by waste reduction, improving fertiliser efficiency and recovering phosphorus from wastewater and agricultural runoff.
Additionally, the conference aims to inspire and mobilise “Phosphorus Champions” in an attempt to influence change across the region and build a network that will eventually culminate in an African Sustainable Phosphorus Network (ASPN).
Phil Haygarth, Professor of Soil and Water Science at Lancaster University, notes that helping the SPS8 come to Africa was not only an important project he had contributed to but it was also a challenging and potentially satisfying one.
“Helping an inclusive 8th Sustainable Phosphorus Summit come to Africa is the most important, challenging, and potentially satisfying project I have contributed to,” Phil Haygarth said.
Phil Haygarth further observed that making soils more phosphorus efficient in Africa is important for the future of world food production even though there should be a concerted effort to come up with innovative ways for phosphorus recycling.
“Making soils more phosphorus efficient in Africa is critical for the future of world food production, but this must also go alongside a focus on novel innovations in phosphorus recycling,” he added.
Phosphorus, now recognised as a critical finite resource and a pollutant threatening aquatic ecosystems, is a key component of fertiliser essential for crop and animal production. However, its use in Africa is far below optimal level notwithstanding the growing agricultural needs.
Experts have also warned that without urgent investment and innovation, the region risks a decline in food production exacerbated by population growth and climate change. This is as result of the use of phosphorus in African agriculture being generally sub-optimal as well as having declined sharply since the late 20th century.
Although there are sustainable phosphorus measures in Africa such as the monitoring of water and recycling of biomass waste, they are only implemented at pilot scale. Additionally, many African farmers have limited options such as the repeated use of cattle manure, which, although can contribute to recycling phosphorus to soil, is not always practical for most smallholder farmers to achieve due to low livestock numbers.
To remedy this, the use of phosphate rock has been proposed as an alternative to phosphorous and has gained momentum in Africa where the acidity of the soil helps dissolve the phosphate. However, phosphorus can interact with other micronutrients which can be sparse in some of the continent’s soils. For instance, it can affect zinc uptake in plants and subsequent dietary intake in humans, especially in communities reliant on plant-based diets.
On the other hand, inefficient phosphorus use in high-income countries has led to widespread pollution of rivers, lakes and coastal waters. This has fueled a toxic algal bloom that threatens biodiversity and human health.
Although current reserves of phosphorus are not at an immediate risk of depletion, concerns about the long-term security and sustainability of phosphorus abound as a result of the uneven global distribution of phosphorus-rich rocks and the rising demand for phosphorus in lithium battery production and other industries.