Ethiopia and Morocco signed an agreement in the aim of constructing an integrated fertilizer production plant worth 2.5 billion USD. The agreement was signed by OCP Group, global leader in the phosphate industry, on Morocco’s side while Minister for Public Enterprises represented Ethiopia.

According to the Agreement OCP is going to construct a plant at the Dire-Dawa Industrial Park. The construction is going to be carried out in 2 phases and the first phase is scheduled to be completed by 2022. Construction for the second phase will commence on 2022 and it is expected to go operational by 2025.

According to Faysal Benameur, OCP’s representative in Ethiopia, upon completion of the first phase, the company will be able to produce 2.5 million tons of fertilizer per year.

“In the second phase, we will upgrade the capacity of this plant to reach 3.8 million ton fertilizer per year with the global investment of 3.7 billion USD,” Faysal explained.

The plant is said to acquire gas and potash, which are raw materials for fertilizer production, from local sources. Phosphate, on the other hand, is going to be imported from Morocco.

Upon commencement of production, OCP’s products are expected to meet 85 percent of the local fertilizer demand.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency