The OCP Group, Morocco's leading exporter of phosphate rock, expects its Nigeria ammonia plant to start operating by the end of 2023, Reuters wrote on Thursday, quoting a senior official from the company. The $1.3 billion plant will be built in southeast Nigeria near gas suppliers, head of OCP Nigeria Mohammed Hettiti told the British news agency. The Nigeria plant is expected to have an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of fertilizers. Ammonia produced in Nigeria will be sent to Morocco's plant in Jorf Lasfar. Meanwhile, OCP will supply the West African factory with phosphoric acid to produce fertilizers, the same source said. OCP's Nigeria factory is part of a bigger plan announced earlier this year. In March, the firm revealed that it will start production in its chemical plant in Ethiopia by 2023/2024 and that it is also considering the construction of a factory in Ghana in 2020. Moreover, OCP is planning to build blending facilities in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Ghana.
