OCP Accelerates Construction of Major Fertilizer Plant in Nigeria

A Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Marlin Sylva, has been in Morocco since Tuesday, according to an OCP press release. This business visit follows an initial phase of the construction of the multipurpose plant for the production of ammonia and fertilizers, launched in 2018, during the official visit to Morocco of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. To advance the project, several agreements have been signed, including a shareholders’ pact between the "Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority" and OCP Africa, creating a joint venture responsible for developing the industrial unit, with a possible stake by the "Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation" (NNPC).

To ensure the gas supply to the industrial platform, the OCP Afrika group has signed a framework agreement with oil suppliers, "Mobil Producing Nigeria" and "Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria". In addition, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the State of Akwa Ibom in Nigeria, the NSIA and OCP Afrika, aimed at the acquisition of land, administrative facilitation and the development of joint agricultural development projects in the State of Akwa Ibom, in order to allow OCP to support agricultural development initiatives in Nigeria and to provide fertilizers to local farmers at competitive prices.

The OCP industrial unit, which will have an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of fertilizers by 2025, is based on complementarity between the two countries. It is up to Morocco to provide its phosphate resources and its expertise in fertilization, while Nigeria provides its gas resources, explains the OCP press release.