North Africa could become a phosphate hub for the USA
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North Africa could become a phosphate hub for the USA
Morocco and Tunisia will benefit from exporting its phosphate to the United States.
North Africa’s large phosphate deposits could make it a critical hub for America.
Both America and China are expected to become increasingly reliant on phosphate rock imports in the future.
The US recently declared phosphate as a critical mineral (something China did way back in 2016. Phosphate is also a critical mineral in the EU, the UK and India.
North Africa is sitting on huge deposits of phosphate that could become increasingly strategic in the long term.
Morocco and Tunisia host top deposits
Morocco host about 70% of the world’s known phosphate rock reserves, dwarfing second place China while Tunisia hosts substantial deposits in the Gafsa Basin.
Traditionally phosphate was seen as essential for fertilisers to support agriculture.
Recently it acquired another role: phosphate rock is processed into phosphoric acid, a key precursor for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cathodes which powers electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
The USA has a rich history of phosphate mining and processing. But the US has developed few new mines over the last decade which has seen production decline.
Imports now comprise 15% of US consumption.
Thus, the US has extensive downstream processing capacity that risks becoming idle due to the lack of domestic phosphate rock supply (source: Phosco).
North African exports make sense
Exporting phosphate from North Africa to the US and the EU makes logistical sense.
North African exporters benefit from proximity to both Atlantic and Mediterranean shipping routes.
In Morocco, ports like Tanger Med and Jorf Lasfar handle bulk phosphate and related products. It will take an ocean freight from Morocco to the US East Coast (e.g. New York) between 10 to 20 days,
Tunisia’s phosphate and fertiliser exports are typically shipped from Mediterranean ports such as Rades, Sfax or Gabès, with transit times to the U.S. often in the 15–34-day range.
There are a few phosphate projects in North Africa that is worth following and will play a significant role in the critical minerals supply chain in the future.
I’ve been following Australian listed PhosCo’s Gasaat Phosphate Project in Tunisia for a while. It looks compelling.
Gasaat is about 210km south-west of Tunis by road and 35km from the railway line that connects it to the Port of Goulette/Rades.
WhyAfrica in Europe and North Africa in 2026
WhyAfrica tracks and visits exploration and mining projects across Africa.
WhyAfrica will visit the northwestern hemisphere and North Africa this year to further connect the dots, so continue following WhyAfrica.
Image credit: Phosphate being loaded in Morocco. Image credit: Magreb Times
North Africa could become a phosphate hub for the USA