OCP Group and Government of Nigeria commit to further developing Nigeria’s agriculture industry

The goal of the project is to develop a multipurpose industrial platform in Nigeria that will utilise Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate.

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Image : Igwemba/CC-BY-SA

This article is sponsored by OCP

2 March, 2021, Benguerir OCP Group is hosting a Nigerian delegation, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva. This business visit will run from Monday 1 March to Saturday 6 March and falls within the partnership between OCP Group and the Nigerian Government to support and develop Nigeria’s agriculture industry.

Following the success of the first phase of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) and the progress of the fertiliser production plant project launched in June 2018 by OCP Group and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), OCP and the Nigerian government delegation have today jointly confirmed the next steps.

First announced during the official visit to Morocco of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the goal of the project is to develop a multipurpose industrial platform in Nigeria, which will utilise Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of phosphate fertilisers annually by 2025.

The following agreements, signed today at the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) by OCP Africa and the Nigerian delegation led by His Excellency the Minister of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva, reaffirm OCP’s unwavering support of agricultural development initiatives in Nigeria.

The agreements are as follows:

  • A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Fertiliser Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in order to commit to the second phase of the Nigerian Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI 2).
  • A Shareholders Agreement between OCP Africa and the NSIA for the creation of the Joint Venture Company (JVC) which will oversee the development of an industrial platform that will produce ammonia and fertilisers in Nigeria.
  • A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and NSIA to evaluate the opportunity of an equity investment by the NNPC in the JVC and for its support on gas.
  • A Framework Agreement between OCP Africa, Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), the NNPC, the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN), and the NSIA on gas supply for the industrial platform.
  • A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria and the NSIA on land acquisition, administrative facilitation and common agricultural development projects in the Akwa Ibom State.

These agreements seek to provide Nigerian famers quality fertilisers adapted to the needs of their soil at competitive prices and produced locally. Moreover, they also aim to strengthen the solid partnership between OCP Group and the different institutions in the gas industry in Nigeria. They will materialise the technical aspects of the industrial platform. This industrial platform is leveraging Nigerian and Moroccan natural resources, namely the Nigerian gas and the Moroccan phosphate.

Back in 2016, OCP Group first partnered with the Fertiliser Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FESPAN) under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), supported by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). This collaboration stretched across the entire agricultural value chain, from the introduction of customised fertilisers adapted to local soils and crops to improving the availability of fertilisers in the local market at competitive prices. The partnership also included farmer support initiatives, supply chain development projects along with the strengthening of a close distribution system.

These investments have increased the local production capacity to more than 5 million tons per year, allowing Nigerian farmers better access to quality fertilisers. In line with this, 3 Blending units are currently under construction by OCP group in Kaduna, Ogun and Sokoto states due to start this year. With a total production capacity of 500,000 tons of fertilisers per year, they will serve as centres of excellence to promote exceptional agricultural practices and control technical aspects of fertiliser quality.

About OCP Group

OCP plays an important role in feeding a growing global population, by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plant growth. With a century of experience and revenues reaching US$5.62 billion in 2019, OCP is a leader in plant nutrition and the world’s first producer of phosphate-based fertilisers. OCP provides a wide range of customised fertiliser products to enhance soil, increase agricultural yields and help feed the planet in a sustainable and affordable way.

Headquartered in Morocco and present on five continents, OCP works in close partnership with more than 160 customers across the world. Closer to home, OCP is committed to help drive forward Africa’s environmental and social development and implement sustainable and prosperous agriculture through innovation.

The Group is firmly convinced that leadership and profitability are necessarily synonymous with social responsibility and sustainable development. Its strategic vision is rooted in the meeting of these two dimensions.

For more information: www.ocpgroup.ma

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