Business
Dangote Refinery, Fertiliser Expansion to Employ Over 90,000 in Lagos
President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has declared that over 90,000 people are expected to be working at the group’s petroleum refinery & petrochemicals and fertiliser operations in Lagos next year.
This is as the group accelerates investments to create jobs, strengthen industrial production and transform agriculture across Africa.
Dangote, who disclosed this in an interview, also unveiled plans to establish 20 fertiliser blending plants in strategic locations across the continent to improve farmers’ access to essential inputs and support year-round supply. The projects form part of an investment programme that could reach $65 billion over four years, spanning refining, fertiliser, petrochemicals, power, pipelines and other businesses.
“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.
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Dangote said creating opportunities for Africa’s youthful population was a central motivation for the group’s expansion, stressing that the continent needed more factories and greater domestic production to meet its growing needs. “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 will add another 700,000 barrels per day of processing capacity, taking the planned total to about 1.4 million barrels per day, alongside additional petrochemical facilities and infrastructure. Beyond energy, Dangote outlined a fertiliser expansion programme designed to help turn Africa’s agricultural potential into greater production, more reliable food supplies and economic opportunities.
“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 working towards nine million tonnes of urea capacity, with plans for 1.2 million tonnes of diammonium phosphate, DAP, and one million tonnes of NPK blending capacity in Lagos. Dangote said the objective was to ensure that farmers in countries hosting the group’s operations, as well as neighbouring markets, could obtain fertiliser when needed, without the uncertainty associated with lengthy import and delivery processes.
“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.
Citing Ethiopia, he explained that fertiliser imports had to pass through Djibouti before being transported inland, creating logistical challenges that could leave supplies arriving after the planting season. “With local production, the fertiliser will be available there. We will also have one million tonnes of NPK capacity attached to the project,” he said.
Dangote linked the programme to his determination that Africa should build the capacity to meet its own agricultural input requirements, rather than remain vulnerable to disruptions in international markets. “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 expressed confidence that sufficient access to gas would enable a much larger expansion in fertiliser production. “If Africa needs 30 million tonnes and we can secure enough gas, we can produce and supply it,” he said. “Africa has an enormous agricultural advantage. We must lead the effort to turn that opportunity into a major agricultural transformation.”
The group’s wider investment programme includes an initial ambition to develop 10,000 megawatts of power with some African countries and increase cement capacity to 100 million tonnes. Dangote said reliable electricity was essential to industrial growth, enabling African countries to process their raw materials, retain more value within their economies and create opportunities for their people. He disclosed that approximately $50 billion of the planned investment would go into existing businesses, while another $15 billion would be directed towards new ventures, including projects yet to be announced. The programme would be financed through a combination of free cash flow, internally generated equity and debt, he said.
Dangote urged African investors to take the lead in developing the continent, arguing that substantial domestic investment would encourage international capital to follow.
“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. “What gives other investors comfort and confidence is seeing us put our own money on the table. That is what we are trying to do. We are demonstrating that we are serious.”
He argued that sustained investment by African businesses was essential to unlocking the continent’s industrial and agricultural opportunities, while giving international investors the confidence to participate.
“Governments are always calling for foreign investors. But what attracts a foreign investor is a domestic investor,” he said. “We must demonstrate that we are doing something substantial in Africa so that others can join us.”
Photo Caption: Group President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote (left), in conversation with the President of the Republic of Namibia, H.E. Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, during the official launch of the Dangote Namibia Tank Farm and Regional Pipeline Investment in Walvis Bay, Namibia, recently.
The quest for diversified fuel sources with a view to reducing cost of transportation has seen operational CNG stations in Nigeria rise to 106.
The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), Barr. Ismaeel Ahmed, has stated this during the commissioning of a CNG Integrated Refueling Unit (IRU) Station by Pi‑CNG & EV and Rolling Energy, in Karu.
According to Ahmed, 170 stations are in different stages of development or waiting for different licences from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He added that investors are trooping into the sector as $2.6 billion worth of private investment has come in, adding that while most of the stations are privately-owned, the government is intervening with policies that will make their construction easy.
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He stated that it took Nigeria 60 years to get to 24,000 PMS stations but the rate of construction of CNG stations makes the country the fastest adoption rate for CNG and electric vehicles.
“We are moving at a scale that is very impressive. The work is in progress and a lot of entrepreneurs are seeing the need for this and they are coming in and we’re calling them to come in and invest more,” he said.
He added that the route where CNG buses are plying has led to reduction in transport fare but he said there is the need to do more in providing additional buses for fares to crash.
On his part, the State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, said the use of CNG will help to reduce the burden of increasing the price of petrol.
He added that Nigerians will soon see the availability of the product when more investors build new stations and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline is completed.
“The stations will reduce the pressure in other places that we’re going to, and they can come here and refuel at any time, and even convert. And hopefully this will also be a clarion call for persons with the capacity to also set up things like this for the benefit of the citizens.”
The Chairman and Founder of Rolling Energy, Mubarak Umar Danbatta, said the station will help the government achieve its goals in ensuring that Nigeria is energy secure.
A call has gone to researchers, engineers, academics and other energy professionals to present technical solutions and innovations capable of addressing challenges across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The organisers of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week have opened submissions for its 2027 Technical Seminar, made the call for papers, citing 14 technical categories across the energy value chain for specific attention.
They maintain that it is aimed at promoting the exchange of research, field experience and practical knowledge to support investment, operational efficiency and technological development in the sector.
The organisers said submissions would cover upstream activities, including geoscience, field development, drilling and asset management, as well as midstream operations involving infrastructure, facilities, supply and pipeline transportation, shipping and marine services.
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Other areas include downstream infrastructure, power generation and industrialisation, alongside cross-cutting subjects such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, decarbonisation, health, safety, security and environment (HSSE), project management, finance and people development.
Asset Operations Support at TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, Razaq Shuaib, who reviewed submissions for last year’s programme, said the contributions reflected the range of expertise available across the industry, including working engineers and students.
He stressed the importance of developing technical knowledge and human capacity to sustain progress in Nigeria’s energy sector, noting that human capital remained a major driver of industry growth.
Also, Portfolio and Country Director, dmg Nigeria, Wemimo Oyelana, said the programme was designed to give professionals working on practical industry challenges an opportunity to share their experience and findings with a wider audience.
“We built this programme to reach the people actually solving problems in the field and providing them with a platform to share what they are learning within the wider industry. If you have worked through something the industry needs to hear about, this is the platform for it,” Oyelana said.
The organisers said abstracts of 500 words must be submitted by December 18, 2026, through the NOG Energy Week website. Selected papers will be presented at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, on June 29 and 30, 2027.
The organisers are expecting more than 1,000 submissions for the next edition, with eligible professionals encouraged to submit research and technical findings for consideration.
The seminar is expected to provide a platform for sharing practical approaches and emerging technologies that could support activities across the energy value chain, particularly in areas requiring improved operational performance, infrastructure development and more efficient use of resources.
Shell Nigeria Gas Limited has called on the Federal Government to accelerate the development of domestic gas pipeline infrastructure in line with Nigeria’s Decade of Gas initiative. According to the company, expanding pipeline connectivity is critical to enabling manufacturers across the country to access and benefit from Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources.
The company said Nigeria has 215.19 trillion cubic feet of proven-plus-probable gas reserves, but manufacturers continue to spend heavily on alternative energy because of limited access to reliable pipeline gas.
It disclosed that manufacturers spent approximately N1.34tn on alternative energy in 2025, adding that expanding pipeline infrastructure would help reduce energy costs and improve industrial competitiveness.
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In a presentation titled ‘Gas for Manufacturing: Closing the Pipeline Infrastructure Gap to Improve Manufacturing Competitiveness’, delivered at the Manufacturers Energy Security & Energy Efficiency Summit held in Lagos recently, the company identified inadequate gas pipeline infrastructure as a major constraint to unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s gas resources for manufacturing and industrial production.
The Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Gas Limited, Ralph Gbobo, represented by Asset Reliability and Integrity Manager, Samuel Ojo, said, “Despite Africa’s abundant natural gas resources, Europe has more than 10 times the gas transmission pipeline infrastructure per capita. Closing this infrastructure gap is essential to improving manufacturers’ access to reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy, reducing dependence on liquid fuels, and enabling greater use of natural gas for both electricity generation and industrial processes such as boilers, steam systems and kilns. This will enhance industrial competitiveness and support economic growth across Nigeria and Africa.”
He said on the potential cost benefits, Shell presented an illustrative comparison showing that pipeline gas has an electricity cost index of 30 per cent, “compared with 100 per cent for diesel-powered self-generation and 62 per cent for grid electricity combined with diesel backup.”
The comparison means that those using gas for power will reduce their energy costs by 70 per cent when compared with what they should spend using diesel to generate energy.
However, the company said actual savings depend on viable pipeline connections and dependable gas supplies, adding that costs vary from one industrial location to another.
Regarding ongoing infrastructure developments, Shell highlighted the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben pipeline as a critical link connecting Nigeria’s eastern and western gas networks, enabling more efficient transportation across the country
The company also identified the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Pipeline as a strategic project for extending gas access to northern Nigeria and unlocking new industrial and manufacturing demand centres. In addition, Shell highlighted the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System II which expanded the system’s design gas transmission capacity from approximately 1.1 billion to 2.3 billion standard cubic feet per day, strengthening gas supply to existing and future industrial customers.
The company added that government initiatives, including the Decade of Gas programme, the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, and other gas-sector investment incentives are helping to catalyse investment in the critical infrastructure needed to unlock Nigeria’s potential.
Meanwhile, Shell Nigeria Gas said it has continued to invest in gas distribution infrastructure to support manufacturing and industrial clusters across Ogun, Abia and Rivers states.
The company disclosed that it had built more than 150 kilometres of pipeline infrastructure and currently supplies natural gas to over 140 manufacturers. According to Shell, these investments demonstrate the role of gas infrastructure in improving energy reliability, reducing operating cost, and enhancing the competitiveness of Nigerian Manufacturers.
SNG added that its gas supply to the industries stands at 60 million standard cubic feet per day, equivalent to 300 megawatts of power, explaining that its distribution system connects trunkline supplies to factories through pressure reduction and metering facilities, distribution pipelines and factory connections.
To accelerate the expansion of gas infrastructure, the company urged the Federal Government to complete and commission trunklines, streamline permitting processes, and channel eligible financing towards commercially viable infrastructure projects.
Shell further urged the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and business owners to aggregate demand across industrial clusters, establish their consumption requirements and equipment readiness, and enter credible offtake agreements to support infrastructure investment.
According to Shell, a more extensive and reliable gas network would not only enhance manufacturing competitiveness but also strengthen critical sectors such as food processing, fertiliser production, and cold-chain logistics. The company stressed that improving energy security is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for broader economic resilience and national security.
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