■ Ethiopia, Nigeria

The Ethiopian government has finalised an agreement with Aliko Dangote, the founder and chief executive officer of Nigeria’s Dangote Group, on the construction of a nitrogen fertilizer plant in Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia. Dangote will hold a 60% stake in the facility, and Ethiopian Investment Holdings will retain the rest.

The facility will produce a total of 3 million tpy of urea and other nitrogen fertilizers, but the other details, such as the full product portfolio, are unknown so far. The plant will be linked via pipeline to the Calub and Hilala natural gas fields in southeast Ethiopia. The project is expected to meet domestic demand in Ethiopia, reducing the country’s reliance on fertilizer imports, with the surplus earmarked for export.

The construction is expected to happen soon and take about 40 months, but the exact date of the start remains unclear.