President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has unveiled plans to establish an extensive petroleum distribution network across Africa through strategic investments in pipelines, storage facilities and supply corridors, while calling on African governments to adopt policies that protect domestic industries.
Dangote disclosed this during an interview Session with Financial Times Africa Editor, David Pilling, at FT Africa Summit in London.
He said the Group is aggressively expanding petroleum logistics and distribution infrastructure across East, Central and Southern Africa to strengthen energy security, improve access to refined products and eliminate supply bottlenecks.
According to him, the Group recently acquired a 25 percent stake in the petroleum products pipeline network in Kenya with support of the Kenyan government and is pursuing additional infrastructure projects connecting Djibouti and Ethiopia alongside investments in Cameroon and Namibia.
He said expansion forms part of a broader strategy to develop an interconnected African energy supply system capable of linking major refining centres with underserved markets that have historically depended on imported petroleum products and fragmented distribution channels.
Dangote said the Group is developing a major petroleum distribution corridor linking Djibouti and Addis Ababa complete with storage terminals and tank farms, adding that the strategic project in Cameroon is nearing completion while Namibia has been identified as a critical hub to penetrate Southern African markets.
He described Namibia as attractive because of strategic proximity to Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, noting that from the refinery to Namibia is just about four days of steaming.
He said refined products from Lagos refinery will be transported to Namibia and distributed across markets including Botswana and South Africa.
He said the Group is also examining other supply corridors extending into Zimbabwe and Zambia as part of a broader objective of developing continental network supported by strategically located storage and transportation infrastructure.
He said expansion complements plans to establish another refinery in Lamu Kenya with projected capacity of approximately 700,000 barrels per day, explaining that East Africa’s growing economies, vibrant mining sector and increasing energy demand make the region attractive for refining investments.
He said the refinery would source crude oil from multiple markets rather than depend exclusively on supplies from Kenya or Uganda.
He revealed that the investment decision was concluded within four months, although vested commercial interests attempted to delay the project through legal proceedings shortly before its public announcement.
Beyond energy infrastructure, Dangote advocated policies protecting domestic industries from unfair competition, arguing that allowing imports to displace local production means exporting jobs out of the continent and importing poverty.
He questioned why African countries should be discouraged from supporting local industries when developed economies deploy similar measures to strengthen domestic manufacturing.
He disclosed that the Group has earmarked approximately 50 billion dollars for investments between 2026 and 2030, describing the programme as part of a broader mission to demonstrate that African businesses can successfully execute transformative industrial projects at scale.
He identified inadequate power supply, weak financial systems and underdeveloped industrial policies as major challenges constraining Africa economic growth, describing electricity as a fundamental requirement for industrialisation, particularly in manufacturing, mining and mineral processing.
He said with an estimated 650 million Africans still lacking access to electricity, addressing the continent’s energy deficit would unlock opportunities for job creation, industrial development and economic diversification, adding that Africa possesses all ingredients necessary to become a major industrial powerhouse.
