AFA’s 38th International Technical Conference & Exhibition

Welcome to Jordan!

Now in its fourth decade, AFA’s International Technical Conference & Exhibition has become the definitive gathering for the Arab fertilizer industry and its global partners. This year’s event is being held in Amman with host sponsorship from the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC).

Recognised as one of the fertilizer industry’s most influential gatherings, more than 500 senior delegates are expected to attend. This will include 100+ chairs and CEOs from leading Arab and international companies, accompanied by their technical and commercial teams.

The conference serves as a premier platform where decision-makers, experts and innovators exchange cutting-edge insights on the fertilizer industry’s evolving landscape. The attendee profile spans the entire nitrogen, phosphate and potash value chains.

Delegates typically include EPC contractors, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, catalyst and chemical suppliers, project management consultants and market analysts – making the event a highly valuable networking and knowledge-sharing opportunity. A specialised exhibition featuring 25-35 leading international suppliers will also run throughout the three-day event.

Beyond production

During the previous half a century, the Arab fertilizer industry has measured itself in tonnes: capacity built, cargoes shipped, output records broken. Midway through the 2020s, however, the present-day industry is starting to be measured very differently – by the value it creates beyond the factory gate, the carbon embedded in its products and the operational excellence of its plants.

It is this shift that gives the 38th AFA International Technical Conference & Exhibition its theme: Beyond Production – The Fertilizer Industry Transformation Summit.

Three days, eight technical sessions

• Day one of the three-day conference will cover Strategy & Technology Direction

• Day two turns to the installed production base with an exploration of Operational Excellence & Asset Optimization

• Day three concludes by looking squarely ahead with a focus on Digitalization, Safety & Future Technologies.

The conference opens on Tuesday 3rd November with an executive keynote panel discussion. This will bring together leaders from prestigious global technology licensors, engineering houses and conference host JPMC. The wide-ranging debate will cover: the fertilizer asset base of 2035, licensing and capital discipline in a decarbonising market, the growth in low-carbon ammonia technology, and the next MENA investment cycle.

A programme of more than twenty presentations across eight technical sessions over three days will highlight the following:

• Ammonia and syngas technology – with presentations covering large-scale ammonia synthesis, high-performance metallurgy in the revamping of steam methane reformers and next-generation nitric acid production using pure oxygen.

• Industry engineers will find dedicated coverage of critical urea equipment, the performance of digitally-enabled production plants and granulation screening.

• The energy and low-carbon agenda ranges from decarbonisation of the phosphate industry, to steam and power integration across JPMC’s Aqaba complex, and the commercial implications of regulatory changes (CBAM, ETS and RFNBO) for regional fertilizer producers.

• There will be a spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI), as it moves from promise to practice, with AI-based reformer optimisation, computational fluid dynamics in plant design, and real-time greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring.

• A dedicated process safety management session will close the programme, alongside a global fertilizer market outlook from a leading market intelligence house.

• Fittingly for a conference held in Amman, the programme also embraces both phosphate and potash production – placing both pillars of Jordan’s mining industry on the same stage.

WELCOME MESSAGE

“The global fertilizer industry stands at a historic pivot point. We are no longer defined solely by tonnage and capacity. The new era is defined by intelligence, sustainability, and value creation across every nutrient that feeds the world.

“The Arab Fertilizer Association (AFA) is proud to present its 38th International Technical Conference & Exhibition, taking place in the dynamic capital of Amman. Hosted by global leader Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) in a kingdom whose mineral wealth spans the phosphate of its mines and the potash of the Dead Sea, this year’s summit moves ‘Beyond Production’.

“We are gathering the industry’s brightest minds across the full nutrient spectrum. From the decarbonization of ammonia and low-carbon nitrogen, through the smart mining and beneficiation of phosphate rock, to the recovery of potash from the mineral-rich brines of the Dead Sea and the precision delivery of balanced NPK in the field, we are rewriting the rulebook on efficiency and decarbonization.

“Here, smart mining, green manufacturing, and digital intelligence converge to redefine how the world is fed. Join over 500 industry leaders to shape the roadmap for a low-carbon, high-efficiency future for nitrogen, phosphate, and potash alike.”

Saad Abou El-Maaty, Secretary General, Arab Fertilizer Association.

The choice of host sponsor is also apt. Established in 1949, Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) spans the entire phosphate value chain – from the Eshidiya, Al-Hassa and Al-Abiad mines to the integrated industrial complex at Aqaba, where Jordanian rock is transformed into phosphoric acid, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and a growing portfolio of value-added fertilizers.

Jordan’s high-purity, low-cadmium phosphate rock reserves are a genuine competitive asset. This is more true than ever at a time when cadmium limits in phosphate import markets are tightening and carbon taxation, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), is redrawing trade flows.

These themes will be explored in the dedicated host session From Rock to Product: The Phosphate Value Chain. This will bring together international technology licensors, process specialists and the host sponsor JPMC. A deep dive into the performance of wet-process phosphoric acid production, merchant-grade acid (MGA) logistics and downstream product diversification is promised.

An industry celebration

The conference is equally a celebration of people in the industry:

• The AFA Awards will be presented during the opening ceremony.

• A gala dinner hosted by JPMC promises Jordanian hospitality at its finest.

• While the closing session will review AFA’s year of technical activity – through its committees, working groups, workshops and webinars – and announce the host of the 39th edition.

Amman awaits you!

Amman is a capital city that combines millennia of continuous civilisation with one of the region’s most forward-looking industrial sectors. It is also only an hour’s drive from some of the world’s most significant phosphate deposits.

For an industry wishing to look beyond production, AFA’s message is straightforward: when its comes to the transformation of the fertilizer industry, attending the 38th International Technical Conference & Exhibition in Amman is an invitation to lead it from the front row.

For programme information and registration, sponsorship and exhibition enquiries contact events@arabfertilizer.org or visit the website: technical.arabfertilizer.org/