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 Farmers in developing countries cannot afford inorganic fertilizers. Multipurpose tree leaves or livestock manure are major sources of nutrients for soil fertility replenishment. Nutrient release from these organic inputs depends on their chemical composition and on soil properties. This study determined the chemical composition of leaves of four African browse species and manure from goats fed leaves as protein supplements, and their mineralization of C, N and P. Cumulative evolved CO₂ was significantly correlated with the initial N content of the organic inputs (r 0.83, P<0.05) and the C : N ratio (r 0.80, P<0.05), and was negatively correlated with the lignin : N ratio (r–0.71, P<0.05). Cumulative P released was negatively correlated with the C : P ratio (r 0.76, P<0.05) and positively correlated with initial P content of the organic amendments (r 0.76, P<0.05). Cumulative N mineralized was not …