Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is pursuing regulatory approval to construct what could become Nigeria’s largest and deepest seaport in Olokola, Ogun State—a major step in his effort to expand the Dangote Group’s export and industrial infrastructure
Bloomberg reports that the proposed Atlantic seaport will be located about 100 kilometres from his massive fertiliser and petrochemical complex in Lagos. The port is expected to significantly boost Nigeria’s maritime capacity while strengthening Dangote’s footprint in fertiliser, petrochemicals, and upcoming liquefied natural gas (LNG) ventures.
In a recent interview, Dangote revealed that his group submitted the necessary documents in late June to begin the project, which he described as “the biggest, deepest port in Nigeria.”
“It’s not that we want to do everything by ourselves,” he said, “but I believe this kind of investment will inspire other entrepreneurs to get involved too.”
At the moment, Dangote exports fertiliser and urea through a private jetty near his refinery. The planned port will integrate and expand these logistics operations and could emerge as a direct rival to major maritime facilities like the Chinese-funded Lekki Deep Sea Port, which launched in 2023.
Beyond fertiliser, Dangote is eyeing LNG exports from Lagos, a move that would require the construction of pipelines connecting the gas-rich Niger Delta to the southern coast.
“We want to do a major project to bring in more gas than what NLNG is doing today,” he said, referring to Nigeria LNG Ltd., the country’s top LNG exporter. “We know where there is a lot of gas, so we’ll run a pipeline all the way and bring it to the shore.”
Dangote already utilizes gas from the Niger Delta to power his fertiliser plant, where it serves as feedstock for hydrogen production—key for ammonia and urea manufacturing.
He emphasized that such visionary projects are vital to reshaping Africa’s economic landscape, urging bold thinking and long-term planning.
Earlier this year, the billionaire projected that his conglomerate would hit $30 billion in annual revenue by 2026. He also expressed confidence that Dangote Group could surpass Qatar to become the world’s top exporter of urea within the next four years.
