Sh1.7tr fertiliser plant mooted
German President is expected to discuss the project during his visit to Tanzania
What you need to know:
- The complex in Mtwara is to start operating in 2019/20 and will produce more than a million tonnes of fertiliser annually
Dar es Salaam. A consortium of international companies led by Ferrostaal Industrial Projects of Germany and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) plans to establish a $1 billion (Sh1.7 trillion) fertiliser complex in the country .
The proposed factory in Mtwara is set to start operations in 2019/20 and will produce more than a million tonnes of fertiliser annually.
The project is among bilateral issues to be discussed during the visit of German President Joachim Gauck (pictured), who arrived in the country last night. The factory will use natural gas, according to a press statement issued by Ferrostaal, which is currently negotiating with TPDC.
“The project is open to local participation and National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Minjingu mines have already shown interest … 5,000 direct and indirect jobs are going to be created during construction and operating period,” the statement says.
The proposed plant adds to the growing list of mega projects to be implemented in Mtwara following the discovery of vast natural gas deposits in the region.
Nigerian tycoon Aliko Dangote is setting up a factory in Mtwara that will produce 3 million tonnes of cement annually.
President Gauck will be accompanied by a delegation of 14 businesspeople and the country’s vice minister for economic affairs. The business delegation has been drawn from the transport, agriculture, trade and heavy industries sectors. Mr Gauck is scheduled to hold talks with President Jakaya Kikwete at State House today.
He will later visit the 117-year-old German-built Azania Front Lutheran Church in Dar es Salaam. The German leader is a former Lutheran pastor. Tomorrow he will have a breakfast meeting with political party leaders efore heading to Zanzibar, where he will meet Zanzibar President Ali Mohammed Shein.
On Thursday, he will be in Arusha where he will meet Mr Justice (rtd) Augustino Ramadhani, president of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights.
He will also visit the headquarters of East African Community (EAC) and deliver a speech to the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala). The last leg of his tour will be in Serengeti National Park, where he will inaugurate an anti-poaching centre.
