Ethiopian Fertilizer Project: Moroccan OCP Faces Turkish Competition

OCP is a valuable aid to Ethiopia. The Moroccan phosphate giant is testing 18 new fertilizer formulas adapted to the Ethiopian soil. The objective is to address the high prevalence of acidic soils in Ethiopia, which affects 43% of the country’s cultivated land (nearly half of the nearly 15 million hectares cultivated), according to Farmers review Africa. This information was confirmed by Umer Hussein, Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.

"The Prime Minister told us that Ethiopia must have its own fertilizer plant within two to three years and become self-sufficient in fertilizers. Our food self-sufficiency plan cannot succeed without becoming self-sufficient in fertilizers. Two of the three ingredients needed to make fertilizers are available in Ethiopia. The rest of the ingredients will come from Morocco," said Umer Hussein.

This initiative is part of OCP’s efforts to obtain an investment license in Ethiopia. Another company, Turkish Calik Holding, has also made an offer to obtain the same right. The leaders of this company and its subsidiaries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on July 5 with Takele Uma, the Ethiopian Minister of Mines, to establish a fertilizer plant in Ethiopia, a gold production unit, and also the exploration and production of natural gas.

It should be recalled that the OCP group is carrying a fertilizer complex project in Ethiopia of more than $2 billion over five years dating back to 2016 that has been stagnating for years, notably due to the political instability of the country.