Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is moving forward with plans to construct a world-class seaport in Ogun State, Nigeria, aimed at enhancing the country’s export capabilities, particularly for products like liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Dangote’s conglomerate has submitted an application to Nigerian authorities to build a deep-sea port at Olokola, a coastal area in Ogun State, which will be the biggest and deepest in Nigeria.
The proposed seaport will significantly bolster Dangote Group’s export strategy, opening up new channels for international trade and connecting the group’s logistics and export operations in Lagos.
Dangote aims to overtake Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) as Africa’s biggest LNG exporter by laying pipelines from the Niger Delta to Lagos and bringing more gas than what NLNG is doing today.
The group exports fertilizer to several countries, including the US, Brazil, Mexico, and India, and plans to set up a fertilizer plant in Ethiopia to help the country develop production capacity.
Dangote’s ambitions include topping Qatar as the foremost manufacturer of urea in the next 40 months and making Africa self-sufficient in fertilizer within the same timeframe.
The 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery, the continent’s largest, began operations in 2024, and Dangote plans to list the petrochemical business on the local stock exchange in Lagos this year and the refinery next year.
