Dangote Fertiliser Company Limited has commenced the production of Urea.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Dangote Fertiliser Limited has formally commenced the production of Urea in commercial quantity and will hit the Nigerian market on Monday.
Industry watchers have described it as a potent step to liberalise the fertiliser market and further enhance agricultural production.
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, at facility’s final inspection tour by the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the plant, with a capacity to churn out three million metric tonnes per annum of urea, has been classified as the biggest project in the entire fertiliser industry in the world.
L- R, Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Adesola Adeduntan, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Managing Director Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, President Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Managing Director UBA plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, Managing Director Zenith Bank plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Managing Director GTB, Segun Agbaje, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021.
The CBN Governor was accompanied by top bankers: Chief Executive Officers of First Bank of Nigeria, GTbank Plc, Access Bank Plc, United Bank of Africa, and Zenith Bank Plc.
Dangote added that “this Phase 1 of the project, which is estimated to cost $2.5 billion, is to manufacture 3mmtpa of urea per annum. This capacity will later be expanded to produce multi grades of fertilisers to meet soil, crop, and climate-specific requirements for the African continent.”
According to him, the fertiliser plant would make Nigeria the biggest urea exporting country in sub-Saharan Africa and the biggest producer of polypropylene and polyethylene.
The Dangote Group President explained that the fertiliser complex consists of Ammonia and Urea plants with associated facilities and infrastructure, to produce 3 MMTPA Urea.
L- R, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Managing Director of UBA plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021
He added that the complex comprises: 2 x 2,200 MTPD Ammonia Plants based on Halder Topsoe technology, 2 x 4,000 MTPD Melt Urea Plants based on Snamprogetti technology, and 2 x 4,000 MTPD Urea Granulation Plants based on Uhde Technology.
Dangote said: “the three million tonnes of Urea is certified, licensed by all regulatory authorities in Nigeria. We have gotten all licenses from the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Agriculture, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC, and all other authorities.
“So, our Urea will be in the market from Monday, and by God’s grace before the end of this month, we will start bringing in dollars from the first line that we have commissioned. He added that urea is a small percentage utilization of gas that the country is actually flaring.
He noted that the company planned to saturate the market with Urea and have already collected the database of farmers to ensure the adequate training of farmers on the best application of Urea.
“Our primary interest is to saturate the local market. Training farmers will help to sustain farming activities, and this will ensure food security,” Dangote said.
Dangote, therefore, commended the CBN Governor and the banks’ CEOs present for ensuring the success of the plants.
He added that the time has come for the country to move away from selling crude oil to value-added petroleum products and urged the top bankers to target gas-based industries mostly so that the country’s economy could improve and make a lot of dollars.
Dangote noted, “We need to look at transforming the industrial capacity of the country earning dollars and at the same time doing what we call import substitution.”
Emefiele on the occasion said Nigeria has the potential to export at least 3.5 million metric tonnes of urea to different parts of the world.
“Nigeria needs between 1 million metrics to 1.5 million metric tonnes of Urea to meet the local demand. So, we have potentials to export at least three to four million metrics tonnes of Urea to different parts of the world.
“With this latest development, Nigeria has become one of the major producers of Urea in the world. This for me is a story, which no one would have believed would happen in Nigeria.
He also disclosed that the mechanical commissioning of the Petrochemical and Refinery plant would commence by the end of the first quarter of next year.
L- R, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. Managing Director of UBA Plc, Kennedy Uzoka, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021
The CBN Governor said, “Dangote has committed that mechanical completion will be achieved by the end of this year and we are expecting that the refinery will be completed by the first quarter of next year.”
The Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe,
while speaking on behalf of the bankers expressed joy at the support given to Dangote in creating a world-class manufacturing enterprise in Nigeria.
Wigwe said, ”There was a lot of skepticism along the way as we moved on; can this project be completed, are we sure we have the right financing models and all of that.
“Today we saw Urea produced, we saw it bagged and we saw it loaded on trucks, and by Monday it will be in our markets. This for us is a very important milestone for Nigeria and Africa.”
L- R, First Bank Managing Director, Adesola K. Adeduntan, Managing Director Zenith Bank plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. President Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Managing Director of UBA Plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021.
L- R, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, First Bank Managing Director, Adesola K. Adeduntan, Managing Director Zenith Bank plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. President Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Managing Director of UBA Plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Managing Director GTB, Segun Agbaje, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021
L- R, Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Adesola Adeduntan, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Managing Director Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, President Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Managing Director UBA plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, Managing Director Zenith Bank plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Managing Director GTB, Segun Agbaje, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021.
L- R, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, First Bank Managing Director, Adesola K. Adeduntan, Managing Director Zenith Bank plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. President Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, Managing Director of UBA Plc, Kennedy Uzoka, Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Managing Director GTB, Segun Agbaje, During the Central Bank Governor with Banks M.D. Visit Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Petrochemical Complex, Fertilizer Plant & Subsea Gas Pipeline Projects, Lekki Lagos on Friday 4th June 2021
