President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has restated the company’s commitment to helping Africa achieve food self-sufficiency through massive investments in fertiliser production across the continent.
Dangote made this known during a working visit to Ethiopia’s Somali region, where he was hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. During the visit, both leaders inspected the site of a large fertiliser plant currently under construction in Gode.
Speaking during a press briefing, Dangote revealed that the company’s total investment in Ethiopia has now exceeded $4 billion, up from the earlier $2.5 billion commitment. According to him, the project is part of a broader plan to tackle Africa’s food insecurity challenges by increasing access to fertiliser and other important agricultural resources.
He explained that although Africa has vast agricultural land and huge farming potential, many countries on the continent still struggle with low food production because farmers do not have enough access to fertiliser and modern farming support.
Dangote said the company’s investments are aimed at changing this situation by helping farmers improve crop yields, increase productivity, and strengthen food production systems across Africa.
According to him, Africa has the capacity to feed its growing population and even export food to other parts of the world if the right investments are made in agriculture and supporting infrastructure.
The expanded investment portfolio in Ethiopia includes several major projects. These include a 110-kilometre pipeline, a 120-megawatt power plant, a polypropylene packaging factory, and a two-million-tonne NPK fertiliser blending plant. The projects are expected to support large-scale fertiliser production and distribution within Ethiopia and beyond.
Dangote described Ethiopia as one of the company’s most important investment destinations in Africa. He noted that the country is now the second-largest recipient of Dangote Group investments on the continent and represents nearly nine per cent of the company’s planned African investments up to the year 2030.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed praised the speed and scale of the ongoing project, describing Dangote as a dependable partner in Ethiopia’s industrial development drive.
The Ethiopian leader said the fertiliser project supports the country’s economic goals, especially efforts to reduce reliance on imported products and strengthen local manufacturing.
He added that the investment would improve fertiliser availability for millions of farmers, create jobs, and contribute to the growth of Ethiopia’s industrial sector.
According to Abiy Ahmed, partnerships between governments and private investors are important for economic growth and national development. He expressed confidence that more collaborations of this nature would attract additional investments and improve the living conditions of citizens.
The Dangote fertiliser initiative is widely seen as a major development for Africa’s agricultural sector. Analysts believe the project could help reduce fertiliser shortages, increase food production, lower import dependence, and support long-term economic growth across the continent.
