Japan-Morocco Foreign Ministers’ Video Conference- "stable supply of ammonium phosphate"

Japan-Morocco Foreign Ministers’ Video Conference

On September 2nd, commencing at 9:10 PM for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a video conference with H.E. Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco. The overview is as follows.

1. At the outset, Minister Hayashi expressed his hope to further develop the relationship between the two countries, given the longstanding excellent relations of both countries based on the friendship between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Moroccan Royal Family, and the potential for further development of bilateral relationship in many fields. In response, Minister Bourita stated that the two countries have established excellent relations in various fields over the years and that he would like to further strengthen cooperation between both countries.
2. They welcomed the entry into force of the Japan-Morocco Investment Agreement and the Tax Convention between Japan and Morocco this April, and concurred on further encouraging Japanese companies to enter the Moroccan market. Minister Hayashi stated that Japan would like to support the promotion of socio-economic development and economic stability of Morocco through the provision of Yen Loan for the education sector of up to 22 billion yen signed this July. Minister Hayashi also called for cooperation for the stable supply of ammonium phosphate, an important fertilizer for agricultural production. Minister Bourita expressed his gratitude for Japan's support so far and stated that he would like to cooperate with Japan in ensuring a stable supply of ammonium phosphate.
3. Furthermore, Minister Hayashi, expressing his regret about Morocco’s absence from TICAD 8, stated that Japan's diplomatic position of not recognizing "Western Sahara" as a state has not changed in any way, and that Japan made clear its position at the TICAD8 conference. Both Ministers then confirmed that TICAD is an important forum for discussing development in Africa, and the two countries will continue to closely cooperate for achieving that goal.
4. The two Ministers also discussed international situations. Minister Hayashi then stated that it is essential for the international community to cooperate in its response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In response, Minister Bourita stated that he would like to cooperate with Japan in dealing with various issues which the international society is facing.
5. Furthermore, the two Ministers confirmed to work together in dealing with North Korea, including on the nuclear, missile, and abductions issues as well as international issues such as Security Council reform.

Japan-Morocco Foreign Ministers’ Video Conference | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (mofa.go.jp)

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OCP Group and the Government of Nigeria commit to further developing Nigeria’s agriculture industry

News - Nigeria2nd March, 2021, Benguerir .?OCP Group is hosting a Nigerian delegation, chaired by his Excellency the Minister of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva. This business visit will run from Monday the 1st of March to Saturday the 6th of March and falls within the partnership between OCP Group and the Nigerian Government to support and develop Nigeria’s agriculture industry. Following the success of the first phase of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) and the progress of the fertilizer production plant project launched in June 2018 by OCP Group and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), OCP and the Nigerian government delegation have today jointly confirmed the next steps.

First announced during the official visit to Morocco of His Excellency Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria, the goal of the project is to develop an industrial platform in Nigeria, which will utilize Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of phosphate fertilizers annually by 2025.

The following agreements, signed today at the University Mohamed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) by OCP Africa and the Nigerian delegation led by His Excellency the Minister of Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva, reaffirm OCP’s unwavering support of agricultural development initiatives in Nigeria. The agreements are as follows:

• A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Fertilizer Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in order to commit to the second phase of the Nigerian Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI 2).
• A Shareholders Agreement between OCP Africa and the NSIA for the creation of the Joint Venture Company (JVC) which will oversee the development of an industrial platform that will produce ammonia and fertilizers in Nigeria.
• A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and NSIA to evaluate the opportunity of an equity investment by the NNPC in the JVC and for its support on gas.
• A Framework Agreement between OCP Africa, Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), the NNPC, the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN), and the NSIA on gas supply for the industrial platform.
• A Memorandum of Understanding between OCP Africa, the Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria and the NSIA on land acquisition, administrative facilitation and common agricultural development projects in the Akwa Ibom State.

These agreements seek to provide Nigerian famers quality fertilizers adapted to the needs of their soil at competitive prices and produced locally. Moreover, they also aim to strengthen the solid partnership between OCP Group and the different institutions in the gas industry in Nigeria. They will materialize the technical aspects of the industrial platform. This industrial platform is leveraging Nigerian and Moroccan natural resources, namely the Nigerian gas and the Moroccan phosphate.

Back in 2016, OCP Group first partnered with The Fertilizer Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FESPAN) under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), supported by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). This collaboration stretched across the entire agricultural value chain, from the introduction of customized fertilizers adapted to local soils and crops to improving the availability of fertilizers in the local market at competitive prices. The partnership also included farmer support initiatives, supply chain development projects along with the strengthening of a close distribution system. These joint efforts have led to the renovation of 13 blending units and packaging for fertilizers and installation by private operators of more than 14 new factories.

These investments have increased the local production capacity to more than 5 million tons per year, allowing Nigerian farmers better access to quality fertilizers. In line with this, 3 Blending units are currently under construction by OCP group in Kaduna, Ogun and Sokoto states due to start this year. With a total production capacity of 500,000 tons of fertilizers per year, they will serve as centers of excellence to promote exceptional agricultural practices and control technical aspects of fertilizer quality.

OCP Group and the Government of Nigeria commit to further developing Nigeria’s agriculture industry | OCP AFRICA

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Morocco’s OCP expands with new chemical plants in Africa

CASABLANCA, March 4 (Reuters) - Morocco’s OCP Group, expects to reach a deal this year to build a Nigerian ammonia plant and to start production at a $3.7 billion chemical plant in Ethiopia by 2023/2024, the chief executive of its OCP Africa subsidiary told Reuters.

The world’s largest phosphate exporter, which is 95 percent state-owned, is also considering a factory in Ghana in 2020 as it seeks to bring customised fertilisers closer to key African markets, Karim Lotfi Senhaji told Reuters.

Like many other Moroccan firms, including banks and insurers, OCP has been expanding its investments in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, boosting the kingdom’s economic clout.

Senhaji said the Nigerian plant would cost $1.5 billion and would have a total capacity of 1 million tonnes of ammonia.

OCP signed a deal in June to build the industrial platform with Nigeria’s sovereign investment authority during a visit paid by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari to Rabat.

In Ethiopia, the Moroccan firm expects its chemical plant to be operational by 2023 or 2024, with an initial capacity of 2.5 million tonnes of fertilisers, he said.

These investments are part of a strategy to boost phosphate-based fertiliser use and production in Africa, he said.

“We encourage having this customisation done as close as possible to the farmers or the area of consumption. We don’t aim to produce everything in Morocco,” he said.

The group plans a blending facility in Rwanda, three in Nigeria, one in Ivory Coast, five in Ethiopia and one in Ghana, with each costing between $8 million and $12 million.

“These will be launched in 2019 and we expect to have them ready in 2020,” he said. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; editing by Ulf Laessing and Alexander Smith)

Morocco's OCP plans African chemical plants, fertiliser blenders | Reuters

Morocco’s OCP expands with new chemical plants in Africa – AmmoniaKnowHow

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Medvedev: Germany acting as an enemy of Russia.

FT: Russia switches off Europe’s main gas pipeline until sanctions are lifted

Medvedev said Germany was “acting as an enemy of Russia” by supporting sanctions against Moscow and supplying Ukraine with weapons. “They have declared hybrid war against Russia,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram. “And this old man acts surprised that the Germans have some little problems with gas.”

Russia switches off Europe’s main gas pipeline until sanctions are lifted | Financial Times