Nigeria to emerge as urea export hub within 24 months — NMDPRA

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, has said Nigeria will join the league of urea-exporting countries within the next 24 months, stressing that the nation no longer has any justification for importing fertiliser-related products.

Mohammed made the statement during an operational tour of major midstream and downstream facilities in Port Harcourt, including the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Complex. The visit formed part of an executive regulatory exercise mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.

He attributed the optimism to ongoing expansions at Indorama and other large-scale investments such as the Dangote Fertiliser Plant, which he said mark a major turning point in Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.

“We have no business importing any of those products,” Mohammed said. “With the expansion taking place at Indorama and other locations, including Dangote Fertilisers, I am confident that within the next 24 months Nigeria will become a urea-exporting country, which is where we ought to be.”

The NMDPRA chief described the midstream segment of the industry as capital-intensive but critical, noting that investments estimated between $30 billion and $50 billion are required to position Nigeria as a regional hub for oil and gas, as well as secondary derivatives and value-added products such as fertilisers and urea.

“What we have seen at Indorama reflects what Nigeria needs,” he said. “We require more fertiliser plants and value-addition opportunities from our hydrocarbon resources to drive sustainable growth.”

While acknowledging that similar ambitions had been expressed in the past with limited progress, Mohammed said improved collaboration with the private sector is now delivering measurable outcomes.

“Today, we are seeing the right partnerships with the private sector,” he said. “Indorama has demonstrated that growth is achievable, and we can continue to build in that direction.”

He explained that the visit to facilities in Rivers State was aimed at assessing operational status and infrastructure availability, strengthening alignment between the regulator and licensees, and engaging investors to ensure effective regulatory support. The exercise, he added, also seeks to enhance regulatory efficiency, promote health and safety standards, and provide the public with a clearer picture of sector performance.

Mohammed noted that Rivers State remains a strategic hub for the oil and gas industry, hosting a wide range of gas processing, manufacturing and refining facilities. He said the scope of activities in the state is too broad to be covered in a single visit, adding that further inspections would follow.

“The role of the Authority is to facilitate investments by creating an enabling environment for operators to expand and for new investors to come in,” he said, adding that the executive regulatory initiative, which began in the South-South, would be extended nationwide.

Speaking on behalf of Indorama, its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Munish Jindal, described the visit by the NMDPRA leadership as timely and significant, noting that such engagements enable regulators to gain firsthand insight into industry operations.

“These visits are very important,” Jindal said. “They allow the regulator to see what is happening on the ground and understand the progress achieved. We appreciate that Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed and his team have taken the time to visit and assess what has been delivered here over the past 20 years.”

Jindal recalled Mohammed’s early involvement in the sector during the planning stages of Phase 2 and Phase 3 expansions at the former Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited, noting that those plans have since been realised under Indorama’s ownership.

He also commended regulators for their improved understanding of the midstream sector, describing it as essential to industry growth, while appealing for a review of certain regulatory requirements that he said may no longer be applicable to manufacturing-focused midstream operators.

The NMDPRA reaffirmed its commitment to aligning industry operations with the objectives of the Federal Government and the Nigerian people, as the country pursues its goal of becoming a leading energy and oil-and-gas derivatives hub in Africa.