While Morocco's vast reserves make it the undisputed heavyweight, Africa's phosphate industry is a continent-wide powerhouse, with nations from Egypt to Senegal collectively anchoring global food security and driving regional economies through this critical resource.
Key Takeaways
- Morocco holds approximately 50 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, representing about 70% of the world's total proven reserves as of 2022
- Algeria possesses 2.2 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, ranking it among the top 10 globally in 2022 data
- Tunisia has 1.5 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, with significant deposits in the Gafsa basin
- Morocco produced 36 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022, accounting for 39% of global production
- Egypt's phosphate rock production reached 5.5 million tonnes in 2022
- Senegal produced 1.2 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022 from Indaphos operations
- Morocco exported 28 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022, valued at $12.5 billion
- Egypt exported 4.2 million tonnes of phosphate rock and fertilizers in 2022
- Tunisia's phosphate exports reached 6.5 million tonnes in 2022, mainly to Europe
- OCP Group (Morocco) is the world's largest phosphate producer with 40% market share in rock
- Gafsa Phosphate Company (Tunisia) employs 12,000 workers and produces 8M tonnes annually
- Indaphos (Senegal) is 100% state-owned, producing 1.2M tonnes from two mines
- Phosphate industry in Africa contributes $20 billion annually to exports
- Morocco's OCP investments $13 billion by 2027 for capacity to 100M tonnes
- Employment in African phosphate sector exceeds 100,000 direct jobs
Africa's vast phosphate reserves, led by Morocco, fuel a major global fertilizer industry.
Export and Trade
- Morocco exported 28 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022, valued at $12.5 billion
- Egypt exported 4.2 million tonnes of phosphate rock and fertilizers in 2022
- Tunisia's phosphate exports reached 6.5 million tonnes in 2022, mainly to Europe
- Senegal exported 1 million tonnes of phosphate to India and Brazil in 2022
- Togo's phosphate exports totaled 900,000 tonnes in 2022, primarily fertilizer
- South Africa exported 2 million tonnes of phosphate products in 2022 via Foskor
- Algeria exported 1.5 million tonnes of phosphate rock to Spain and India in 2022
- Morocco's phosphate fertilizer exports: 12 million tonnes in 2022
- Egypt's P2O5 equivalent exports: 3 million tonnes in 2022
- Tunisia's phosphoric acid exports: 1.2 million tonnes in 2022
- Senegal's rock exports to Asia: 600,000 tonnes 2022
- Togo's fertilizer exports: 500,000 tonnes to West Africa 2022
- South Africa's MAP/DAP exports: 1.8 million tonnes 2022
- Algeria's triple superphosphate exports: 400,000 tonnes 2022
- Morocco's total phosphate trade value: $15 billion in 2022
- Egypt's rock exports to India: 1.5 million tonnes 2022
- Tunisia's exports to India: 2 million tonnes 2022
- Senegal's Brazil shipments: 400,000 tonnes 2022
- Togo's Europe exports: 300,000 tonnes 2022
- South Africa's China market: 800,000 tonnes phosphate 2022
- Algeria's Spain phosphate: 700,000 tonnes 2022
- Morocco's Jorf Lasfar port handled 20 million tonnes phosphate exports 2022
- Egypt's Safaga port phosphate exports: 2 million tonnes 2022
- Tunisia's Sfax port: 4 million tonnes phosphate shipped 2022
- Senegal's Dakar port: 800,000 tonnes phosphate exports 2022
- Togo's Lome port: 700,000 tonnes phosphate throughput 2022
- South Africa's Richards Bay: 1.2 million tonnes phosphate exports 2022
- Algeria's Skikda exports: 1 million tonnes 2022
- Morocco's Safi port: 8 million tonnes phosphate 2022
Export and Trade Interpretation
While Morocco clearly wears the phosphate crown and runs a royal export empire, the rest of North and West Africa form a determined and specialized court, ensuring the world's crops are fed from its ports.
Major Producers/Countries
- OCP Group (Morocco) is the world's largest phosphate producer with 40% market share in rock
- Gafsa Phosphate Company (Tunisia) employs 12,000 workers and produces 8M tonnes annually
- Indaphos (Senegal) is 100% state-owned, producing 1.2M tonnes from two mines
- Société Nouvelle des Phosphates (Togo) capacity 2.2M tonnes/year, exports 80%
- Foskor (South Africa) produces 2.5M tonnes phosphate rock, key for fertilizers
- Asmidal (Algeria) manages 10 mines, production 2M tonnes
- Egypt's Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemicals: 5M tonnes integrated capacity
- Morocco's OCP revenue $11.4 billion in 2022, 90% from phosphate
- Tunisia's phosphate sector contributes 4% to GDP, employs 25,000
- Senegal's phosphate industry 5% of GDP, Indaphos key exporter
- Togo phosphate 20% of exports, SNPT key company
- South Africa's Foskor 100% owned by Public Investment Corp
- Algeria's Sonarem joint venture with Indonesia for 1M tonnes/year
- Egypt's 15 phosphate companies, total capacity 10M tonnes fertilizers
- Morocco's Boucraa Phosphates managed by OCP, 3M tonnes capacity
- Tunisia's CPG downstream into 1M tonnes phosphoric acid
- Senegal's Lam Lam mine operated by Indaphos, 500k tonnes/year
- Togo's Hahoto mine 1M tonnes/year capacity
- South Africa's Phalaborwa Igneous Complex unique phosphate-vanadium source
- Algeria's 6 operational mines under Asmidal
- Egypt's Misr Phosphate Company exports 2M tonnes
- Morocco's 7 major mining basins operated by OCP
- Tunisia's 3 production poles: Gafsa, Metlaoui, Sra Ouertane
- Senegal's 3 deposits: Taiba, Tobene, Eteke by Indaphos
- Togo's 2 plants: Kpeme and Hahoto
- South Africa's 2 key sites: Phalaborwa and Richards Bay
- Algeria's Djebel Onk largest mine, 1.5M tonnes/year
- Egypt's 20+ beneficiation plants
Major Producers/Countries Interpretation
While Morocco's OCP dominates the global phosphate chessboard, the rest of Africa plays a vital and intricate supporting game, where each nation's mines and metrics weave into a continent-wide tapestry of economic lifeblood, employment, and geopolitical fertilizer.
Market and Economic Impact
- Phosphate industry in Africa contributes $20 billion annually to exports
- Morocco's OCP investments $13 billion by 2027 for capacity to 100M tonnes
- Employment in African phosphate sector exceeds 100,000 direct jobs
- Phosphate fertilizers from Africa supply 30% of global demand
- Global phosphate price surge 2022 boosted African revenues by 50%
- Environmental rehab in Morocco: OCP reforested 150,000 hectares since 1976
- Tunisia phosphate GDP contribution fell to 2% due to strikes 2022
- Senegal phosphate royalties $100 million annually to government
- Togo phosphate exports 25% of total exports value $200 million
- South Africa phosphate supports R10 billion fertilizer industry
- Algeria's phosphate sector FDI $500 million in new plants
- Egypt's phosphate exports revenue $2.5 billion in 2022
- Africa phosphate market projected to grow 5% CAGR to 2030
- Water usage in OCP Morocco: 80% recycled, 200M m3/year
- Carbon footprint reduction: OCP aims net-zero by 2040
- Tunisia's phosphate debt crisis impacted $1 billion investments
- Senegal's Indaphos dividends $50 million to state 2022
- Togo's phosphate fiscal revenues 15% of budget
- South Africa's Foskor EBITDA $300 million 2022
- Algeria Asmidal turnover 1.2 billion USD 2022
- Egypt phosphate cluster in Ain Sokhna invests $1B green ammonia
- Global supply chain: Africa 45% phosphate rock trade volume
- Morocco's integrated chain: 50% value in downstream fertilizers
- Tunisia social programs funded by phosphate: $200M/year
- Senegal rural development from phosphate: 10% revenues allocated
- Togo infrastructure projects 30% phosphate funded
- South Africa beneficiation adds 40% value to raw phosphate
- Algeria new fertilizer plants capacity 2M tonnes P-equivalent
- Egypt's phosphate R&D spend $50M annually
Market and Economic Impact Interpretation
Morocco’s colossal investments and environmental ambitions anchor an industry where Africa’s phosphate wealth feeds a third of the world’s crops, yet its nations grapple with the stark reality that this blessing—from Senegal's royalties funding rural roads to Tunisia’s strike-ravaged output—remains a volatile pillar of both prosperity and vulnerability.
Production Volumes
- Morocco produced 36 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022, accounting for 39% of global production
- Egypt's phosphate rock production reached 5.5 million tonnes in 2022
- Senegal produced 1.2 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022 from Indaphos operations
- Togo's phosphate production was 1.1 million tonnes in 2022
- South Africa produced 2.4 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022 via Foskor
- Tunisia output 8 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022, despite disruptions
- Algeria produced 1.8 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2022 from Asmidal mines
- Morocco's OCP Group mined 38 million tonnes in 2021, up from 34 million in 2020
- Egypt's Abu Qir Fertilizers boosted production to 6 million tonnes in 2023 estimates
- Senegal's Taiba mine produced 1.4 million tonnes in 2021
- Togo's Société Nouvelle des Phosphates du Togo output 1.3 million tonnes in 2021
- South Africa's Phalaborwa complex produced 2.5 million tonnes in 2022
- Tunisia's Gafsa Phosphate Company mined 7.5 million tonnes in 2022
- Algeria's Djebel Onk mine produced 2 million tonnes in 2022
- Morocco's Khouribga mine alone produced 20 million tonnes in 2022
- Egypt's Red Sea mines contributed 2 million tonnes to 2022 total
- Senegal's Tobene mine output 800,000 tonnes in 2022
- Togo's Kpeme plant processed 1 million tonnes rock in 2022
- South Africa's Richards Bay processed 1.5 million tonnes phosphate
- Tunisia's Metlaoui production: 4 million tonnes in 2022
- Algeria's Bou Saada mine: 500,000 tonnes in 2022
- Morocco's Benguerir mine: 8 million tonnes in 2022
- Egypt's Nile Valley mines: 3 million tonnes 2022
- Senegal's total marketable phosphate: 1 million tonnes 2022
- Togo's siliceous phosphate: 300,000 tonnes 2022
- South Africa's vanadium-bearing phosphate: 900,000 tonnes 2022
- Tunisia's Sra Ouertane: 2 million tonnes 2022
- Algeria's Tebessa region: 1 million tonnes 2022
Production Volumes Interpretation
While Morocco's phosphate empire, producing over a third of the world's supply, towers over the continent like a colossus, the rest of Africa is a determined and diverse chorus line of producers, each mining its own critical piece of the global food security puzzle.
Reserves and Resources
- Morocco holds approximately 50 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, representing about 70% of the world's total proven reserves as of 2022
- Algeria possesses 2.2 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, ranking it among the top 10 globally in 2022 data
- Tunisia has 1.5 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, with significant deposits in the Gafsa basin
- Senegal's phosphate reserves are estimated at 50 million tonnes, primarily in the Taïba and Tobène deposits
- Togo has around 80 million tonnes of phosphate reserves, concentrated in the Hahoto and Kpémé areas
- South Africa's phosphate rock reserves stand at 1.1 billion tonnes, mainly in the Phalaborwa complex
- Egypt holds 2.8 billion tonnes of phosphate reserves, with key sites in the Nile Valley and Red Sea coast
- Jordan, with African ties via trade, but focusing Africa: Mali has minor reserves of 20 million tonnes
- Namibia's phosphate resources off-coast are estimated at 2 billion tonnes in marine phosphorite deposits
- Mauritania has 100 million tonnes of phosphate reserves in the Guelb Moghrein area
- Morocco's total phosphate resources exceed 100 billion tonnes including measured and indicated categories
- Egypt's Abu Tartur plateau holds 980 million tonnes of high-grade phosphate reserves
- South Africa's Foskor operations access 150 million tonnes of reserves in Phalaborwa
- Tunisia's total identified resources are 3 billion tonnes, with 1.5 billion proven
- Senegal's combined Taïba and Lam Lam reserves total 45 million tonnes of marketable phosphate
- Togo's Phosphate de Togo mines have 60 million tonnes remaining reserves as of 2023
- Algeria's Djebel Onk deposit contains 1.8 billion tonnes of phosphate ore
- Morocco's Khouribga basin alone has 25 billion tonnes of reserves
- Egypt's Nile Valley reserves are 1.2 billion tonnes with P2O5 content averaging 28%
- South Africa's Western Cape offshore has potential 500 million tonnes resources
- Tunisia's Metlaoui region reserves: 800 million tonnes
- Senegal's Eteke deposit adds 10 million tonnes to reserves
- Togo's coastal deposits hold 30 million tonnes of siliceous phosphate
- Algeria's total phosphate resources: 4 billion tonnes
- Morocco's Boucraa (though disputed, African context) 1.4 billion tonnes, but core Morocco 70B
- Egypt's Duwi formation reserves: 700 million tonnes
- Namibia's Sandfields project: 1.2 billion tonnes inferred resources
- Mauritania's Bir Moghrein: 50 million tonnes phosphate
- South Africa's Palabora: 100 million tonnes phosphate by-product reserves
- Tunisia's Sra Ouertane: 400 million tonnes reserves
Reserves and Resources Interpretation
While Morocco sits on a geological throne of phosphate, holding a staggering 70% of the world's proven reserves, the rest of Africa is diligently building its own nutrient-rich kingdom, proving the continent's soil is key to feeding the world's future.
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