Dangote started plans for the largest in -depth port in Nigeria in the State of Ogun

The President and Head of the Dangote Group Executive, Aliko Dangote, have begun the process to determine what he described as the largest and deepest port of Nigeria in the State of Ogun.

This is a step that is ready to significantly expand the kingdom of the industry and strengthen Nigerian maritime infrastructure.

In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg In Lagos on Monday, Dangote revealed that he submitted the necessary documentation for the port project at the end of June. The proposed port will be located about 100 kilometers from the dangote refinery and the fertilizer complex in Lekki, Lagos.

Designed to facilitate product exports such as fertilizer, petrochemical, and liquid natural gas (LNG), Oolokola Port is also expected to increase the import of heavy equipment and raw materials that are important for company operations.

“It’s not that we want to do everything ourselves, but I think doing this will encourage other entrepreneurs to come into it,” Dangote said, stating the belief that the initiative would cataly for private investment in the poor Nigerian port infrastructure.

At present, the dangote group uses the pier that is built on its own for urea and fertilizer exports and to receive large equipment for its operations. The inner sea port that faces the new Atlantic, if approved, will compete with the port in Lagos, including the recently assigned Lekki Deep Sea Port, the $ 1.5 billion facility developed with Chinese funds that began operating in 2023.

This development also marks strategic returns to the Oolokola free trade zone for Dangote, which previously left plans to place the refinery and fertilizer factory there because of disagreement with local authority. Disputes -the dispute seems to have been resolved under the current government, allowing the revival of its ambition to the zone located in the area of the Ogun Waterside local government.

In related development, Dangote Group Vice President, Devakumar Edwin, revealed that the company plans to start LNG exports from Lagos, with an ambitious pipe project that will transport natural gas from Niger Delta Niger which is rich in Nigerian oil.

“We want to do a large project to bring more gas than what is done today,” said Edwin, referring to Nigeria LNG LTD., the largest LNG exporter on the continent, a joint venture between the Nigerian government and the international energy company, Eni, and Totanergy.

According to Edwin, Dangote Group intends to put a large pipe to send natural gas to coastal facilities for conversion and exports. The company has used gas sourced from Delta Niger to trigger the fertilizer factory, which depends on hydrogen for ammonia production, the main ingredient of plant nutrition.

In further expansion of its downstream operation, Dangote also plans to start distributing fuel to Nigerian retailers from August using a fleet of 4,000 gas -powered trucks. While some critics have led to concerns about potential monopolistic tendencies, Dangote consistently rejects the claim.

With an estimated net worth of $ 27.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote remains the richest African and dominant figures in the industrial landscape and manufacturing of the continent industry. In addition to its purification, fertilizer, and logistics efforts, its business portfolio includes large cement and sugar manufacturing operations throughout Africa.