Bid to close Tunisia's GCT’s phosphate fertilizer plant in Gabes fails

A legal bid to suspend operations at Groupe Chimique Tunisien's phosphate fertilizer factory in Gabes was rejected by a Tunisian court on Feb.26, according to protest group Stop Pollution and local media reports.

Stop Pollution applied for the emergency injunction on the grounds that the fertilizer factory pollutes the air around the site. But the request was "rejected due to lack of proof of harm" according to a statement published on the group's Facebook page.

GCT could not immediately be reached for comment.

The African Development Bank Group in January 2025 approved $110 mil in financing "to contribute to sustainably reducing air pollution and improving the environmental, energy, and operational performance of the industrial facilities of GCT in Gabès, Skhira, and M'Dhilla."