Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has announced plans to build a continent-wide petroleum distribution network through investments in pipelines, storage facilities and supply routes. He also called on African governments to protect local industries and speed up industrialisation.
Dangote said the Group is rapidly expanding its petroleum logistics infrastructure across East, Central and Southern Africa to improve energy security, widen access to refined products and remove long-standing supply bottlenecks.
In an interview with Financial Times journalist David Pilling, he disclosed that the Group had just acquired a 25 per cent stake in a petroleum products pipeline network in Kenya. It is also pursuing infrastructure projects linking Djibouti and Ethiopia, as well as investments in Cameroon and Namibia.
He said Africa would struggle to achieve economic transformation without heavy infrastructure investment backed by industrial policies that support local manufacturing, protect productive capacity and create lasting jobs.
“Allowing imports to displace local production means we are exporting our jobs out of the continent and importing poverty into the continent,” he said.
According to Dangote, the expansion is part of a wider plan to create an interconnected African energy supply system that links major refining centres to underserved markets, which have long relied on imported petroleum products and fragmented distribution channels.
Asked about the Group’s plans for depots, pipelines and logistics, he replied: “We are very aggressive with that.”
He said the Kenyan pipeline stake was secured with the backing of the Kenyan government and would improve the movement of refined products within East Africa.
“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 petroleum distribution corridor between Djibouti and Addis Ababa, with storage terminals and tank farms for the transport and storage of refined products.
Dangote added that a project in Cameroon is nearing completion, while Namibia has been picked as a key hub for entering Southern African markets. He said the country’s proximity to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos makes it especially attractive.
“From our refinery to Namibia is just about four days of steaming,” he said.
Refined products from the Lagos refinery will be shipped to Namibia and distributed to connected markets, including Botswana and South Africa. The Group is also studying supply routes into Zimbabwe and Zambia as part of its plan for a continental network anchored by strategically located storage and transport facilities.
The distribution push complements plans for another refinery in Lamu, Kenya, with a projected capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day.
Dangote said East Africa’s growing economies, active mining sector and rising energy demand make the region attractive for refining investment. He added that the proposed refinery would source crude from several markets rather than rely solely on Kenya or Uganda, giving it flexibility and long-term sustainability.
Technical assessments, he said, picked Lamu because of its deep-water access, marine infrastructure and the resources needed for large-scale refining.
He disclosed that the investment decision was made within four months, but alleged that vested commercial interests tried to delay the project through legal action shortly before it was publicly announced.
Beyond energy, Dangote strongly backed policies that shield local industries from unfair competition. He argued that industrialisation cannot thrive if young African manufacturers face unrestricted imports from more established economies.
He questioned why African countries should be discouraged from supporting local industries when developed economies are increasingly doing the same to strengthen manufacturing and jobs.
“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 asked.
Dangote also revealed that the Group has set aside about $50 billion for investments between 2026 and 2030. He described the programme as part of a mission to show that African businesses can deliver large-scale industrial projects.
“The legacy we are trying to set up is how do we industrialise our continent?” he said.
He said the programme is meant not only to grow the Group but also to inspire other African entrepreneurs and investors to take on ambitious industrial ventures.
On wider constraints to growth, Dangote named inadequate power supply, weak financial systems and underdeveloped industrial policies as the biggest obstacles facing Africa.
He called electricity a basic requirement for industrialisation, especially in manufacturing, mining and mineral processing, where reliable power is essential for value addition.
With about 650 million Africans still without electricity, he said closing the energy gap would open up opportunities for jobs, industrial growth and economic diversification.
Questioning why a continent with vast natural resources, arable land and a young population remains poor, Dangote insisted Africa has everything it needs to become a major industrial power.
He said Africa’s industrial awakening has already begun.
“The journey has started,” Dangote declared. “But now we’re awake, and we will make it happen.”
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