Synergy Africa has hailed the launch of Tanzania’s new urea fertilizer plant as a defining moment for the country’s agricultural future, calling it a major step toward self-sufficiency and regional leadership in food production.

The multi-billion-dollar facility, located in the southern coastal region of Mtwara, is the largest of its kind in East Africa and is expected to produce up to one million tonnes of urea fertilizer annually once fully operational.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, representatives from Synergy Africa, one of the project’s development partners, described the plant as a “transformational investment” that will drastically reduce Tanzania’s reliance on imported fertilizer while boosting crop yields and cutting farming costs.

“This is more than a factory it’s a strategic shift for our agricultural economy,” said one Synergy Africa official. “We are proud to support a project that will empower Tanzanian farmers, create jobs, and establish the country as a key fertilizer supplier in the region.”

The facility is a joint venture involving the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), the Tanzania Fertilizer Company (TFC), and Indonesia-based PT ESSA Industries Tbk. It will use natural gas from domestic reserves to manufacture high-grade urea, a key input for crop cultivation.

Government officials say the plant will cover over 60% of Tanzania’s fertilizer needs, with the remainder earmarked for export to neighbouring countries, including Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Agriculture experts and stakeholders at the launch praised the project for its potential to improve food security, stabilize input prices, and support the government’s target to increase fertilizer usage to match continental benchmarks by 2030.

Construction of the plant is expected to be completed by 2027, with full-scale production scheduled to begin in 2029. The project is also expected to generate thousands of jobs during construction and operation phases.

The launch of the fertilizer plant comes as Tanzania ramps up investments in agro-industrial infrastructure, positioning itself as a regional hub for agricultural inputs, processing, and export.