Dangote Bets on Fertiliser Plant Expansion to End Africa’s Imports by 2028

Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has said the expansion of his fertiliser plant in Lagos by 2028 will help Africa achieve self-sufficiency in the commodity. 

Africa’s richest man launched in February 2022 a $2.5bn fertiliser plant in Nigeria’s commercial capital amid the Russia-Ukraine war that caused food shortages in Africa. 

“I am honored to share with you news that marks a decisive turning point for our continent: in the next 40 months, Africa will no longer need to import fertilisers,” he said on Monday night on LinkedIn. 

“Thanks to the expansion of our fertilizer plant in Lagos—already among the largest in the world—we will more than double our production capacity. This approach is not simply industrial: it is strategic, economic, and profoundly pan-African.”

Dangote said the objective is to strengthen farmers and the agricultural value chains as well as create jobs and retain wealth on our soil. 

“We spend billions of dollars each year on fertilizer imports. This money must now work for Africans, on the continent,” he said. “This is not just a Dangote project. It is a pan-African movement for agricultural sovereignty.”