PM Office confirms fertilizer complex to be built in Gode, Somali region

Addis Ababa, August 28, 2025 (FMC) – The Office of the Prime Minister has confirmed that a $2.5 billion fertilizer complex, agreed upon with Nigeria’s Dangote Group, will be constructed in Gode, Somali Regional State.

The Fertilizer Complex Shareholder Investment Agreement, signed this morning in Addis Ababa in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Aliko Mohammad Dangote, founder and President & CEO of the Dangote Group, is expected to produce up to three million metric tons of urea fertilizer annually.

The project aligns with priorities outlined by Prime Minister Abiy in his July 3 address to Parliament, where he emphasized the urgent need to develop domestic fertilizer production to reduce reliance on imports, lower costs for farmers, and enhance national food security. The Prime Minister highlighted Ethiopia’s mineral potential and industrial ambitions as key factors for attracting strategic investments in the sector.

Dangote Group, one of Nigeria’s largest industrial conglomerates, already has an established presence in Ethiopia, with investments spanning cement and other manufacturing sectors. The new facility in Gode is expected to create thousands of jobs and position Ethiopia as a regional hub for fertilizer production.

According to the PM Office, the fertilizer complex is part of the government’s broader economic transformation agenda, which focuses on industrialization, agricultural productivity, and leveraging national resources to drive sustainable growth.