Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari will tomorrow inaugurate the Dangote Fertiliser Plant, estimated to have cost about $2.5 billion.

A programme detailing the planned proceedings for the event sighted by THISDAY showed that the official opening of the facility would begin by 10am and would also be attended by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Also expected at the occasion are the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mahmoud’s Abubakar, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

The plant is said to be Africa’s largest granulated urea fertiliser complex and occupies 500 hectares of land in Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos Nigeria.
With Nigeria estimated to need about five to seven million metric tonnes per annum of fertiliser and with the current level of fertiliser consumption in the country which is 1.5 million metric tonnes, the company stated that the complex was established to produce 3 million metric tonnes per annum of urea fertiliser in phase 1.

Dangote stated that the company was working with farmer associations, corporate farms, NPK blenders, development partners and state governments all over Nigeria, as well as governments across Africa and beyond who are looking for sustainable approach to improve soil and farm yields.

In a bid to scale up production further, the company said plans had been made to expand the plant’s three million metric tonnes per annum capacity to produce multiple grades of fertilisers to meet soil, crop and climate-specific requirement for the African continent.

Aside the manufacture of three million metric tonnes of urea per annum, with a view to reducing the nation’s fertiliser imports, it was also expected to generate $400 million annual foreign exchange from export to Africa countries.
According to the programme of events, after the unveiling of the plaque, a facility tour of the fertiliser plant and an inspection tour of the 650,000 oil refinery and 900,000 polypropylene plant as well as the Lekki Deep Sea Port are also expected to be undertaken.