Dangote targets 90,000 jobs from refinery, fertiliser expansion

Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has said the group expects to employ about 90,000 people across its refinery, petrochemical and fertiliser operations in Lagos by next year as it accelerates its industrial expansion.

Dangote disclosed this in an interview, revealing plans to establish 20 fertiliser blending plants across Africa to improve access to agricultural inputs, strengthen food production and reduce the continent’s dependence on imported fertiliser.

He said the employment projection would be driven by the expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and associated fertiliser projects, as the group pursues an investment programme estimated at $65 billion over four years.

“The refinery expansion is huge. By next year, we expect to have almost 90,000 people working on the refinery and fertiliser projects in Lagos,” he said.

Dangote identified job creation as a major motivation behind the group’s expansion, expressing concern over Africa’s inability to generate sufficient employment for its growing youthful population.

“My biggest concern is job creation in Africa. We have a very youthful population, and we are not creating enough jobs. We must push harder to create opportunities and keep our young people productively engaged,” he said.

The refinery expansion is expected to add another 700,000 barrels per day to its processing capacity, bringing its planned total capacity to approximately 1.4 million barrels per day, alongside additional petrochemical facilities.

Beyond refining, Dangote said the group was expanding its fertiliser production capacity and developing infrastructure to ensure farmers across Africa have reliable access to agricultural inputs throughout the year.

“We also plan to establish 20 blending plants in strategic locations across Africa. We intend to begin mining potash and phosphate in Congo-Brazzaville very soon,” he said.

He disclosed that the group was targeting nine million tonnes of urea production capacity, alongside 1.2 million tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and one million tonnes of NPK blending capacity in Lagos.

According to him, the initiative would reduce supply uncertainties associated with long-distance imports and ensure fertiliser is available to farmers when needed.

“What we want is for the countries where we operate, and their neighbours, to have fertiliser available 365 days a year. Farmers should be able to buy it when they need it, without worrying about supply,” he said.

Using Ethiopia as an example, Dangote explained that the country’s dependence on fertiliser imports transported through Djibouti often created logistical difficulties, with supplies sometimes arriving after the planting season.

He said establishing local production and blending facilities would address such challenges and improve agricultural productivity.

Dangote also recalled how the African Union approached Russia during the Russia-Ukraine crisis to secure fertiliser supplies, arguing that the continent should develop sufficient domestic production capacity to avoid similar dependence in the future.

“At the beginning of the Russia–Ukraine crisis, the African Union went to Russia to plead for fertiliser. I said then that, within four years, Africa should never again have to go anywhere to beg for fertiliser,” he said.

He added that access to adequate natural gas supplies would enable the group to expand production to meet Africa’s fertiliser requirements, estimated at 30 million tonnes.

The wider investment programme also covers plans to develop 10,000 megawatts of electricity generation capacity in partnership with some African countries and increase the group’s cement production capacity to 100 million tonnes.

Dangote said approximately $50 billion of the planned $65 billion investment would be committed to existing businesses, while $15 billion would go into new ventures, including projects yet to be announced.

He said the investments would be financed through free cash flow, internally generated equity and debt.

The industrialist urged African businesses to invest more in the continent, arguing that stronger domestic investment would encourage foreign investors to commit capital to the region.

“I am tired of hearing about ‘potential’. We have been talking about Africa’s potential for decades. But Africans themselves must invest in their continent,” he said.

He maintained that African investors must demonstrate confidence in the continent’s economic prospects before expecting international investors to follow.

“Governments are always calling for foreign investors. But what attracts a foreign investor is a domestic investor. We must demonstrate that we are doing something substantial in Africa so that others can join us,” he added.