President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has projected that about 90,000 people will be working across the group’s Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals and Fertiliser operations in Lagos by next year.
Dangote disclosed this in an interview, explaining that the group was accelerating investments aimed at creating jobs, expanding industrial production and supporting agricultural development across Africa.
He also unveiled plans to establish 20 fertiliser blending plants in strategic locations across the continent to improve farmers’ access to essential agricultural inputs and ensure more reliable supplies throughout the year.
The projects form part of an investment programme that could reach $65bn over four years, covering refining, fertiliser, petrochemicals, power, pipelines and other business operations.
Dangote said the planned expansion of the refinery and fertiliser businesses would significantly increase employment opportunities.
He said job creation remained a major motivation behind the group’s investments, particularly given Africa’s growing youthful population and the need to expand productive economic activities.
According to him, the refinery expansion will add another 700,000 barrels per day of processing capacity, bringing the planned total to approximately 1.4 million barrels per day.
The expansion will also include additional petrochemical facilities and supporting infrastructure.
On fertiliser production, Dangote said the group was working towards achieving nine million tonnes of urea capacity, alongside plans for 1.2 million tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and one million tonnes of NPK blending capacity in Lagos.
He explained that the proposed 20 blending plants across Africa would help ensure that farmers in countries where the group operates, as well as neighbouring markets, could access fertiliser when needed.
The initiative is also intended to reduce dependence on lengthy import and delivery processes, which can expose farmers to supply uncertainties.
Dangote said Africa needed to develop the capacity to meet more of its agricultural input requirements locally rather than remain vulnerable to disruptions in international markets.
He expressed confidence that adequate access to natural gas would support a much larger expansion of fertiliser production across the continent.
The industrialist maintained that expanding manufacturing and agricultural input production was essential to creating employment, improving food supplies and strengthening Africa’s economic development.
