Dangote starts tests for $2bn Nigerian fertiliser plant

Dangote Fertiliser Ltd - a division of multibillion-dollar conglomerate Dangote Group - has started test runs on critical sections of its new $2bn fertiliser plant at the group’s free trade zone near Lagos. 

The facility has been touted as the largest project in the entire fertiliser industry, with an estimated annual capacity of three million tonnes. 

According to a statement by the company yesterday, nearly all key sections of the plant are up and running and are now undergoing testing. 

The statement went on to say that the project will create thousands of jobs in construction and related fields, as well as providing a major boost to Nigeria’s agriculture sector by reducing the amount of fertiliser the country needs to import. 

Dangote Group’s Executive Director Devakumar Edwin said the new plant would save Nigeria’s economy $500m in importation costs and provide $400m in additional export revenue

“I am happy that by the time our plant is fully commissioned, the country will become self-sufficient in fertilizer production and even have the capacity to export the products to other African countries”, he said. 

Photo: Vanguard