Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is set to expand his investments in Tanzania with plans to develop a port, a 2,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant, and several other large-scale infrastructure projects in the East African country.
These plans were disclosed late Monday in a statement issued after Dangote held talks with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The investments are aimed at supporting Tanzania’s industrialisation drive.
Dangote’s proposed investments extend beyond power generation, encompassing projects designed to strengthen Tanzania’s industrial and logistics infrastructure. This move highlights Dangote’s growing infrastructure ambitions across Africa, beyond Nigeria.
The plans cover the construction of a new port and a 40-kilometre concrete access road to improve connectivity to the facility. The Dangote Group also intends to develop a special economic and trade zone, establish a urea fertiliser project, and build transport infrastructure linking the Indian Ocean port city of Mtwara with Mbamba Bay on Lake Malawi in southern Tanzania.
“We have identified areas that can deliver significant value for Tanzania, and we are ready to work together to develop them for our mutual benefit,” Dangote stated after his meeting with President Hassan. Formal negotiations are expected to commence in the coming days to finalise the proposed investment agreements.
These Tanzania projects are part of Dangote’s broader strategy to expand his industrial footprint across Africa through investments in refining, fertiliser, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. In mid-May, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni disclosed discussions with Dangote regarding a proposed regional refinery project in East Africa.
The billionaire also recently announced plans to replicate his refinery model in Lamu, Kenya, while increasing investment in a fertiliser complex in Ethiopia to more than $4 billion. Collectively, the Dangote Group plans to invest about $40 billion across Africa over the next five years as it expands operations in manufacturing, energy, and industrial infrastructure.
Dangote’s latest push into Tanzania coincides with a major expansion of its flagship refinery complex in Lagos. The refinery, currently capable of processing about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is expected to almost double its capacity to around 1.4 million barrels per day following a planned expansion.
To support this project, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has reportedly underwritten $2.5 billion as part of a broader $4 billion syndicated term loan. Earlier this year, the Dangote Group signed a $400 million agreement with XCMG Construction Machinery to accelerate ongoing construction works.
Beyond increasing fuel production, the expansion is expected to significantly raise polypropylene manufacturing capacity from approximately 900,000 metric tonnes to about 2.4 million metric tonnes annually. This will strengthen the refinery’s role as a major supplier of industrial raw materials across Africa and reduce the continent’s dependence on imports.
