Bulk or bagged into Abidjan and Douala?

Abidjan takes bulk. The port has a dedicated fertiliser berth with bagging machines rated at 2,000 to 5,000 t/day, so a 10,000 to 25,000 t Handysize discharges by grab into hoppers and leaves the quay in 50 kg lined bags on trucks. Douala cannot take a laden Handysize: the Wouri channel runs about 5.5 m at low water and 8.4 m at high water and the port quotes 8 m as its maximum, so a Douala blender buys a lightened or part cargo, a coaster-sized parcel, containerised bags, or a full parcel over Kribi with a 160 to 180 km road leg. Pre-bagged holds discharge slowly and tear in the humidity, which is why bagging at the quay is the default wherever the port can do it.

Why does the trade bloc change the landed cost?

Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal are ECOWAS members, and Nigerian urea can enter them under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme preference when the producer and the product are both ETLS-approved; the certificate of origin alone is not enough, so the desk asks the plant for its approval number before a Côte d'Ivoire offer goes out. Cameroon is in CEMAC, not ECOWAS, so the same cargo pays the CEMAC external tariff on entry and clears against the importer's MINADER agrément and an ANOR conformity attestation. The duty line for 3102.10 in each schedule is confirmed with the importer per cargo rather than assumed.

Who buys straight urea in these markets?

Blenders and importer-distributors first: the plants around Abidjan, Douala-Bonabéri and Tema that import straight materials in bulk and formulate NPK for cocoa, cotton, palm and rubber, and the distributors who bag and sell urea as a top-dressing. Plantation groups and sugar estates buy through them or, at scale, for their own account. Cotton-belt inputs in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire and the subsidy programmes in Ghana and Senegal are bought by public tender, which is a market fact this page records and not a channel CBIL works.

How is a Nigerian cargo documented?

The producing plant is named on the certificate of analysis, quantity is fixed by an independent draft survey at Lekki or Onne, and quality by SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas sampling at the loading berth against 46% N min, biuret 1.0% max and moisture 0.5% max. The exporter files its NXP form and the load-port conformity certificate the destination programme calls for is issued before sailing. Because the ship arrives before the courier, the contract and LC carry a clause for discharge against the agent's letter of indemnity; the desk does not work cash-against-documents with a new receiver on a two-day voyage.

Can CBIL fix the ship?

Yes. LaycanDesk, our chartering desk, prices geared Handysize tonnage for bulk urea with quay bagging and the small bagged parcels and coasters that Douala's draft calls for, from Lekki and Onne to the Gulf of Guinea and Dakar.

West Africa · Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal

Nigerian Granular Urea CFR Abidjan, Douala, Kribi, Tema and Dakar

Two export plants one to three days' steaming from every blender on the Gulf of Guinea

Nigeria was the sixth-largest urea exporter in the world in 2024 at 3,076,850 t, from two granulation complexes: a 3 million t/yr plant at Lekki with its own 172 m, 14 m-draft bulk quay, and a 2.8 million t/yr plant at Eleme loading over its own terminal at Onne for ships of 30,000 to 35,000 dwt, with a third line due in 2026 that takes Nigerian capacity above 4 million t/yr. In the first half of 2025 the two plants exported USD 483 million of urea between them. The regional trade is small next to that: in 2025 Nigeria declared 94,300 t to Côte d'Ivoire, 33,400 t to Senegal, 30,100 t to Ghana and 19,400 t to Angola, and no line at all to Cameroon, whose blenders are the nearest of any. The buyers exist. Côte d'Ivoire imported a record 789,500 t of chemical fertiliser in 2025, consumed 593,107 t and re-exported 207,791 t to Mali and Burkina Faso, with urea about a fifth of consumption; Côte d'Ivoire itself declared 149,546 t of HS 310210 imports in 2025. Ghana's demand averages 426,307 t/yr of all fertilisers and its 2025 subsidy programme bought 200,000 t split 70% NPK and 30% urea. Senegal imports up to 100,000 t of urea a year until its own gas-based plant is built, and Cameroon's fertiliser imports ran to CFA 44.4 billion in the first half of 2025. The trade bloc matters as much as the distance: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal are ECOWAS states, where Nigerian urea can enter under the ETLS preference if both the producer and the product hold ETLS approval, while Cameroon sits in CEMAC, so the same cargo pays the CEMAC external tariff and the importer's MINADER agrément and ANOR conformity attestation are the documents that clear it.

CBIL brokers granular urea 46% N min, biuret 1.0% max, moisture 0.5% max, loading Lekki or Onne, CFR or CIF Abidjan, Douala, Kribi, Tema and Dakar, for blenders, importer-distributors and plantation groups buying for their own account. Bulk with bagging at the quay into 50 kg lined bags is the working form at Abidjan, whose fertiliser berth bags at 2,000 to 5,000 t/day behind a Vridi canal deepened to 14 to 16 m in 2019, and at Dakar, which has three dry-bulk berths and discharges fertiliser at 1,500 to 2,000 t/day. Douala is the exception: a river channel of about 5.5 m at low water and 8.4 m at high water, with the port quoting 8 m maximum draft and 200 m length, so a laden Handysize does not enter and a Douala blender either takes a lightened or part cargo, a coaster, containerised bags, or a full parcel over Kribi's 16 m multipurpose terminal with two mobile harbour cranes and trucks it 160 to 180 km north. Tema's multipurpose berths draw 9 to 10 m and have no ship-to-bag line, so Ghanaian receivers work bagged holds or truck-and-hopper discharge. Because the voyage is one to three days and original bills of lading are slower than the ship, the desk works these lanes on a confirmed sight letter of credit with a clause allowing discharge against the agent's letter of indemnity, with quantity by load-port draft survey and quality by SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas sampling at the loading berth. A requirement that names the receiver, the discharge port and bagging arrangement, the tonnage, the month and the LC-opening bank gets a priced offer from a producing plant; one without them gets a question first.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices bagged and bulk fertiliser freight, Handysize on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Nigeria urea exports, HS 310210, 2024: 3,076,850 t, sixth-largest exporter in the world
Declared to West Africa, 2025: Côte d'Ivoire 94,300 t · Senegal 33,400 t · Ghana 30,100 t · Angola 19,400 t · Cameroon: no line
Côte d'Ivoire fertiliser market, 2025: 789,500 t imported · 593,107 t consumed · 207,791 t re-exported to Mali and Burkina Faso · urea about 20% of consumption · HS 310210 imports 149,546 t
Discharge ports: Abidjan: Vridi canal 14–16 m, fertiliser berth bagging 2,000–5,000 t/day · Kribi 16 m · Douala 5.5 m LW / ~8.4 m HW, 8 m quoted max · Tema 9–10 m, no ship-to-bag line · Dakar 3 dry-bulk berths, 1,500–2,000 t/day
Loading and parcels: Lekki (172 m quay, 14 m) and Onne (30,000–35,000 dwt berth) · 10,000–25,000 t Handysize bulk · bagged or containerised lots for Douala and trials

Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Bulk or bagged into Abidjan and Douala?: Abidjan takes bulk. The port has a dedicated fertiliser berth with bagging machines rated at 2,000 to 5,000 t/day, so a 10,000 to 25,000 t Handysize discharges by grab into hoppers and leaves the quay in 50 kg lined bags on trucks. Douala cannot take a laden Handysize: the Wouri channel runs about 5.5 m at low water and 8.4 m at high water and the port quotes 8 m as its maximum, so a Douala blender buys a lightened or part cargo, a coaster-sized parcel, containerised bags, or a full parcel over Kribi with a 160 to 180 km road leg. Pre-bagged holds discharge slowly and tear in the humidity, which is why bagging at the quay is the default wherever the port can do it.
Why does the trade bloc change the landed cost?: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal are ECOWAS members, and Nigerian urea can enter them under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme preference when the producer and the product are both ETLS-approved; the certificate of origin alone is not enough, so the desk asks the plant for its approval number before a Côte d'Ivoire offer goes out. Cameroon is in CEMAC, not ECOWAS, so the same cargo pays the CEMAC external tariff on entry and clears against the importer's MINADER agrément and an ANOR conformity attestation. The duty line for 3102.10 in each schedule is confirmed with the importer per cargo rather than assumed.
Who buys straight urea in these markets?: Blenders and importer-distributors first: the plants around Abidjan, Douala-Bonabéri and Tema that import straight materials in bulk and formulate NPK for cocoa, cotton, palm and rubber, and the distributors who bag and sell urea as a top-dressing. Plantation groups and sugar estates buy through them or, at scale, for their own account. Cotton-belt inputs in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire and the subsidy programmes in Ghana and Senegal are bought by public tender, which is a market fact this page records and not a channel CBIL works.
How is a Nigerian cargo documented?: The producing plant is named on the certificate of analysis, quantity is fixed by an independent draft survey at Lekki or Onne, and quality by SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas sampling at the loading berth against 46% N min, biuret 1.0% max and moisture 0.5% max. The exporter files its NXP form and the load-port conformity certificate the destination programme calls for is issued before sailing. Because the ship arrives before the courier, the contract and LC carry a clause for discharge against the agent's letter of indemnity; the desk does not work cash-against-documents with a new receiver on a two-day voyage.
Can CBIL fix the ship?: Yes. LaycanDesk, our chartering desk, prices geared Handysize tonnage for bulk urea with quay bagging and the small bagged parcels and coasters that Douala's draft calls for, from Lekki and Onne to the Gulf of Guinea and Dakar.

Sources

World Bank WITS on UN Comtrade, HS 310210, exporters 2024 (read 30 Sep 2026): Nigeria 3,076,850 t, USD 850.3 million, sixth-largest exporter.
UN Comtrade public preview API, reporter Nigeria (566), HS 310210, exports 2025, desk pull recorded in LaycanDesk docs/research/urea-producers-ng-dz-eg-2026-09-27.md: Brazil 2,320 kt; India 627 kt; USA 565 kt; Côte d'Ivoire 94.3 kt; Senegal 33.4 kt; Ghana 30.1 kt; Angola 19.4 kt; Congo 3.3 kt; Gabon 2.3 kt; no Cameroon row.
UN Comtrade public preview API, reporter Côte d'Ivoire (384), HS 310210, imports 2025, read 30 Sep 2026: world 149,546 t, USD 63.0 million (partner names not returned by the preview endpoint on the day).
Ecofin Agency, 'Cocoa and cotton push Côte d'Ivoire's fertilizer demand to new peak', 31 Aug 2026, citing IFDC report of 14 Aug 2026: imports 789,500 t in 2025 (+38%), apparent consumption 593,107 t (+41%), re-exports to Mali and Burkina Faso 207,791 t, cocoa and cotton 287,250 t, urea about 20% of apparent consumption.
Ecofin Agency, 'Ghana drops fertilizer subsidies for free distribution', 24 Mar 2026: 2025 programme 200,000 t at 70% NPK / 30% urea; 2026 government distribution free of charge; average annual demand 426,307 t (2020-2024). US ITA market intelligence, Ghana fertilizer market: urea imports 49,933 t in 2023 (as recorded in the desk's verification of 28 Sep 2026).
Afriqom, 'Senegal's urea revolution', 16 May 2024: Senegal imports up to 100,000 t of urea a year; SEFCO plant by Petrosen Trading & Services targeted for 2029. IFDC EnGRAIS Port Fact Sheet, Dakar: three dry-bulk berths (Q3 645 m, Q5 360 m, Q8 700 m), optimal offloading 1,500–2,000 t/day.
Business in Cameroon, 'Cameroon fertilizer imports rise to CFA 44.4bn in H1 2025', 23 Jan 2026. Desk file urea-importers-ci-mz-cm-2026-09-28.md: Cameroon fertiliser imports 227,372 t in 2025 and 225,343 t in 2024 (press figure, not re-verified).
Producers: Dangote Fertiliser, Lekki, 3 million t/yr granular urea, 172 m quay at 14 m draft (company site, desk file 27 Sep 2026); Indorama Eleme, 2.8 million t/yr, Onne terminal urea berth for 30,000–35,000 dwt (IFC disclosure via desk file); third line commissioning 2026 lifting Indorama to 4.2 million t/yr (NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies, read 30 Sep 2026). New Telegraph, 'Indorama leads Dangote by 29.3% in N748bn urea export': H1 2025 exports Indorama USD 282.55 million, Dangote USD 199.87 million.
Port limits: Gard, 'Increased number of groundings in Douala channel' (channel about 5.5 m LW to 8.4 m HW, port quoting max LOA 200 m and draft 8 m); ICTSI, Kribi Multipurpose Terminal (16 m, two mobile harbour cranes, 1.5 Mt/yr); Financial Afrik, 22 Feb 2019, and portabidjan.ci on the Vridi canal (14–16 m, entrance 350 m); Port Autonome d'Abidjan facilities page (specialised fertiliser berth, bagging machines 2,000–5,000 t/day); Logistics Cluster LCA, Port of Tema (four multipurpose berths 9–10 m, no direct ship-to-bag facilities). All as verified in the desk's review of 27 Sep 2026 and re-read 30 Sep 2026.
Trade blocs and import documents: ECOTIS (ecotis.ecowas.int), ETLS requires both producer and product approval; Cameroon MINADER DRCQ agrément procedure and ANOR PECAE conformity attestation (drcq.minader.cm, osidimbea.cm), verified 27 Sep 2026. CEMAC tariff line for 3102.10 and ECOWAS CET rate not opened: duty is confirmed with the importer per cargo.
Payment and survey practice (confirmed sight LC with LOI discharge clause on a one-to-three-day voyage; load-port draft survey and surveyor sampling): desk logistics dossier RESULT-2026-09-27-urea-nigeria-to-cameroon-ci-logistics.md, desk practice rather than a published norm. Urea specification 46% N min, biuret 1.0% max, moisture 0.5% max: standard granular urea contract specification.