Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, has led a high-level delegation to the Dangote Industries complex in Lagos, in a visit that could pave the way for the Dangote Group to extend its industrial operations into Egypt.
The delegation included officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and senior executives from the country’s oil and petrochemical sector.
They met with top Dangote Group executives to identify areas for industrial collaboration, investment partnerships and capacity expansion, with a view to helping Nigerian and Egyptian businesses set up ventures that draw on the strengths of both economies.
The visit points to rising interest in taking Nigerian industrial expertise across the continent, and it positions Egypt as a possible destination for future Dangote investments under the Group’s Vision 2030 expansion agenda.
Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, called the engagement a strong symbol of African economic integration.
“This demonstrates true African integration. It reflects our belief that African businesses must invest across the continent to accelerate industrialisation and economic development. We are proud to be an African company building industries that create value for Africa,” he said.
Dangote added that the visit gave the Group a chance to show the scale of its industrial achievements while exploring ways to strengthen industrial capacity in both countries. He described it as part of a wider push to build partnerships among African businesses and open new avenues for sustainable growth.
Saleh said the mission was meant to turn ongoing diplomatic and business exchanges between Nigeria and Egypt into concrete investments and industrial partnerships.
He recalled that earlier interactions involving the Dangote Group took place at the Alamein Economic Conference and other international investment forums hosted by Egypt.
According to the Minister, Egypt is keen to understand the capabilities Dangote has built in refining, petrochemicals, fertiliser production and related manufacturing.
“We are impressed by the scale of operations we have seen here, from refining and petrochemicals to fertiliser production. Our objective is to identify areas where Egyptian and Nigerian businesses can collaborate, expand industrial capacities and create long-term value for both economies,” Saleh said.
He insisted that stronger private-sector collaboration was essential to realising the full potential of ties between the two countries.
“The private sector must be at the centre of this partnership. By learning from each other’s experiences and combining our strengths, we can expand industrial production, encourage investment flows and create sustainable growth opportunities for our people,” he added.
Saleh pointed to the combined market of roughly 400 million people in Nigeria and Egypt,and said the two countries have complementary strengths.
Nigeria’s vast energy resources and Egypt’s established industrial base, he said, offer a solid foundation for cooperation in manufacturing, energy, petrochemicals, fertilisers and other strategic sectors.
He said closer ties could encourage Nigerian industrialists to expand into Egypt and give Egyptian firms room to grow their presence in Nigeria.
The gains, he noted, would extend beyond trade and investment to include job creation, technology transfer, skills development and the growth of supporting industries.
Asked whether Egypt would welcome a Dangote refinery, the Minister said the possibilities were much wider.
“It doesn’t have to be a refinery specifically. There are several sectors in which collaboration can happen. What is important is building a partnership that creates value for both countries and for Africa as a whole,” he said.
The engagement fits within Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to widen the company’s footprint across Africa, strengthen regional value chains and establish the continent as a globally competitive manufacturing hub.
Beyond refining and petrochemicals, the growing relationship between Nigerian and Egyptian industrial players is expected to create openings in fertiliser production, manufacturing, energy-related investments and industrial services.
As both countries push for deeper industrialisation, private-sector growth and job creation, the partnership could become a model for mobilising African capital, expertise and industrial capacity toward a more integrated and prosperous continent.
