Page 16 - DMEA Week 18 2022

DMEA NEWS IN BRIEF DMEA

FUELS equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, grain producers and exporters, global food
and missile control systems in aircraft or space markets have been hit hard by the extensive
Liberia suffers jet fuel vehicles. disruption which shows no signs of ceasing.
He is also an Aviation Maintenance
As a result, food commodities are seeing their
scarcity Technician in Airframe and Powerplant. biggest price increases since 2008, according
Mr. Karnley, according to the Executive
to the World Bank’s Commodities Outlook
Conex Energy Inc., the sole company Mansion, comes to the portfolio with a rich Report released on April 26. Fertiliser demand
supplying jet fuel to airlines coming to Liberia background in the field of Aviation and is has jumped in other producer countries
has alerted the shortage of jet fuel in the a Master’s Degree Candidate in Aviation seeking to boost grains output to fill the gap in
region as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Management from the Aviation Institute of global supply.
According to the company, its next Maintenance in Philadelphia. “Commodity markets are under
consignment of jet fuel will arrive in the He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree tremendous pressure, with some commodity
country on May 17. from Cuttington University, and a Bachelor prices reaching all-time highs in nominal
This means airlines flying to Liberia of Arts in Theology from Southern Adventist terms,†John Baffes, a senior economist
may not be able to refuel at the Roberts University in the US. at the World Bank, said in the report. “The
International Airport. This could potentially At the same time, President Weah has sharp rise in input prices, such as energy
lead to the suspension of some flights to finally named Mrs. Ruth Coker Collins as and fertilisers, could lead to a reduction in
Monrovia or cause a major shift in their flight Minister of Public Works of Liberia. food production particularly in developing
schedules to the country. FPA economies.”
“We have communicated to all relevant While Dangote’s initial export targets were
stakeholders, including the Ministries primarily Africa - the plant has the touted
of Commerce, Transport, The Roberts PETROCHEMICALS objective of making the continent self-
International Airport (RIA), and The Liberia sufficient in food production - current market
Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC). This Dangote’s timely fertiliser realities mean there’s increasing demand from
will allow our customers and stakeholders outside the continent. Orders have come from
time to plan accordingly,” Conex indicated in plant pays off as prices far flung places in the US, Brazil, Mexico,
a press statement. India and the EU.
This is occurring at a time when the soar “The export market is the seller’s market,â€
Roberts International Airport is going Dangote enthused at the plant’s launch.
through an energy crisis causing flights What better time to launch a fertiliser plant “People are begging us to sell, and we’re
including SN Brussels and Royal Air Maroc to than when global prices are at their record choosy about who we sell to.â€
divert landing to neighbouring Sierra Leone. highs? That’s exactly what Aliko Dangote, Construction of the fertiliser plant, which
Royal Air Maroc, SN Brussels and Kenya Africa’s richest man, did. sits on 500 hectares of land in the Lekki Free
Airways often refuel in Liberia due to the On March 22, Dangote’s $2.5bn fertiliser Trade Zone of Lagos, started in 2014. It was
distance they cover before landing in Liberia. plant in Nigeria’s economic capital, Lagos, a twin project with the Dangote crude oil
Currently, SN Brussels is the only airline started production. The 3-million tons a year refinery, which is set to start production in
flying directly to Liberia from Europe. capacity will meet local demand of 1.5-million the third quarter of this year after repeated
In a related development, President George tons a year and have a large surplus for export. delays. Reputed to be one of the world’s
Weah has finally appointed a Managing Producing both urea and ammonia fertilisers, biggest refineries, the IMF in a February
Director to the Liberia Airport Authority it’s the world’s third-biggest fertiliser plant report estimated that it would produce 50,000
(LAA). and second-biggest producer of urea-based barrels-a-day in 2022 and hit 300,000 per day
President Weah on Wednesday nominated fertiliser. by 2026. Once operational, the plant - which
Mr. Darlington T. Karnley to manage the Global fertiliser prices have been on the is 20% owned by the national oil company –
airport. rise since 2020, surging as much as 70% in the is expected to radically reduce Nigeria’s $9.6bn
According to an Executive Mansion press past year. A big boost to the rising prices has annual expenditure on petrol subsidies.
release, the new LAA Manager presently been provided by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Both are designed to make the most of
works at Boeing, America’s leading aircraft which has led to a spike in natural gas prices, Nigeria’s crude oil and natural gas reserves as
manufacturer as Avionics Tech Specialist the key feedstock for ammonia and urea- well as exceed Nigeria’s domestic requirements
Manager, managing all Installation, based fertilisers. of their outputs, helping the government
inspection, test, adjust, or repairs avionics With both warring countries being major resolve supply problems it’s been mired in

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