Aliko Dangote is pursuing an ambitious expansion of his industrial empire, with plans to connect petroleum markets across Africa and invest approximately $50 billion between 2026 and 2030. The programme reflects an ambition to strengthen the continent’s manufacturing capacity, improve regional trade and reduce dependence on imported products.
Dangote, president of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), disclosed the plans during a conversation with David Pilling of the Financial Times on October 22, 2026. He said the group’s investments would extend across Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Namibia, with proposed distribution routes reaching Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa.
A major component of the expansion is the group’s acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in Kenya’s petroleum products pipeline network. Dangote said the transaction was completed with the support of Kenya’s president.
“Just let me tell you, yesterday, with the support from the President of Kenya, we bought 25 per cent of the pipeline network for the distribution of petroleum products,” he said.
The group is also developing a distribution corridor linking Djibouti to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, with tank farms planned to support the storage and movement of petroleum products. In Cameroon, a project is nearing completion, while Namibia is being positioned as an entry point into Southern Africa.
Dangote said transporting refined petroleum products from the group’s refinery in Lagos to Namibia would take approximately four days by sea, creating a potential supply route to Botswana and South Africa. A further corridor through Zimbabwe and Zambia is also envisaged.
“From our refinery to Namibia is just about four days of steaming,” he said.
The proposed network is designed to connect the Dangote Petroleum Refinery with markets that have historically relied on imported fuel and fragmented distribution systems. Investment in pipelines, depots and storage facilities is intended to ease logistical constraints and strengthen regional energy supply.
Beyond distribution, Dangote disclosed plans for a refinery in Lamu, Kenya, with a proposed capacity of approximately 700,000 barrels per day. The facility would serve East Africa’s industrial and mining sectors, which have substantial energy requirements and can struggle to obtain diesel and other petroleum products.
The proposed refinery would source crude oil from different markets rather than depend exclusively on production from Kenya or Uganda. Dangote said technical assessments of several potential locations informed the choice of Lamu, with deep-water access, marine facilities and adequate water resources among the key considerations.
These projects form part of an industrial vision that Dangote believes African governments and businesses must pursue more deliberately. He warned that allowing imported goods to displace domestic manufacturing carries consequences for employment and economic development, describing the practice as “exporting our jobs out of the continent, importing poverty into the continent”.
He also challenged African countries to reconsider their approach to protecting emerging industries, pointing to the measures adopted by major economies to defend domestic manufacturing. Citing developments in the United States and the global automobile industry, he argued that industrial protection should not be treated as an option reserved for wealthy nations.
“If America is now saying, no, we are going to protect our industries, who are we in Africa not to protect our own industries?” he said.
Dangote has budgeted approximately $50 billion for investments between 2026 and 2030, a programme intended to expand the group’s operations and demonstrate Africa’s capacity to execute large-scale industrial projects. He also hopes the initiative will encourage other entrepreneurs and investors to contribute to the continent’s transformation.
“The legacy we are trying to set up is how do we industrialise our continent?” he said.
Achieving that ambition will require more than private investment. Dangote identified strong financial institutions, effective agricultural and industrial policies, and improvements in basic infrastructure as essential foundations for economic growth.
Dangote expressed confidence that Africa’s economic transformation had begun, with governments and entrepreneurs increasingly recognising the need to take responsibility for the continent’s industrial future.
The success of the proposed investments will ultimately depend on execution, infrastructure, policy consistency and cooperation between countries. If realised, the distribution corridors and refining projects could strengthen regional petroleum supply while supporting a move towards production and value creation within Africa. The $50 billion programme signals the scale of Dangote’s ambition; its lasting significance will be measured by the industries, jobs and economic opportunities it helps establish.
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