‎Dangote acquires 25 per cent stake in Kenya pipeline network‎

• ‎Aliko Dangote reveals a 25 per cent stake in a Kenya petroleum pipeline network.
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• ‎New fuel projects are planned across Djibouti, Cameroon and Namibia.
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• ‎He warns that Africa is “exporting our jobs” and urges protection for local industries.
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‎Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has unveiled plans for a petroleum distribution network spanning East, Central and Southern Africa, according to a statement sighted by Confiance News. The plan covers pipelines, storage facilities and supply corridors. Alongside it, he urged African governments to shield domestic industries from unfair foreign competition.
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‎Dangote said the Group was expanding aggressively to address longstanding supply gaps, ease logistical bottlenecks and strengthen the continent’s energy security. He spoke during a wide-ranging conversation with Financial Times journalist David Pilling.
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‎𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝘀 𝟮𝟱 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
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‎Confiance News learned that the Group recently acquired a 25 per cent interest in a petroleum products pipeline network in Kenya. Dangote described the deal as part of a wider strategy to improve the movement of refined products across the continent.
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‎”Just let me tell you, yesterday, with the support from the President of Kenya, we bought 25 per cent of the pipeline network for the distribution of petroleum products,” he said. Asked about the Group’s plans for depots and pipelines, he answered plainly: “We are very aggressive with that.”
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‎According to him, the goal is an integrated African energy supply system. It would link major refining centres with markets that have long relied on imported fuel and fragmented distribution.
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‎𝗟𝗮𝗴𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗮: 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲
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‎Beyond Kenya, the statement obtained by Confiance News shows the Group is building a corridor between Djibouti and Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, complete with tank farms for storing and moving petroleum products. Dangote added that a project in Cameroon is nearing finalisation.
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‎Namibia, however, appears central to the Southern Africa push. Dangote said its short maritime distance from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos makes an efficient route possible. “From our refinery to Namibia is just about four days of steaming,” he said.
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‎Under the plan, refined products would go from Lagos to Namibia and then on to interconnected markets, including Botswana and South Africa. He also outlined another proposed corridor through Zimbabwe and Zambia, designed to serve several countries through strategically placed storage and transport infrastructure.
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‎𝗟𝗮𝗺𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝟳𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆
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‎The expansion also comes with plans for another refinery in Lamu, Kenya, with a proposed capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day. Dangote said East Africa’s heavy industrial and mining activity, rising energy needs and persistent difficulty accessing diesel informed the decision.
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‎He added that the Kenyan refinery would source crude from different markets instead of depending only on Uganda or Kenya. Lamu was chosen after technical assessments of several sites, with deep water, marine facilities and enough water resources proving critical.
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‎Furthermore, Dangote said the investment decision took four months. He alleged that vested commercial interests tried to frustrate the project through legal proceedings shortly before its public unveiling, which he said reflects the intense competition in the international petroleum industry.
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‎𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆
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‎Dangote also made a pointed case for industrial protection. He warned that letting imported products displace local manufacturing amounts to “exporting our jobs out of the continent, importing poverty into the continent.”
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‎He questioned why African countries should expose emerging industries to unrestricted foreign competition while major economies increasingly defend their own. Citing developments in the United States and the global automobile industry, he argued that protecting strategic industries is a widely recognised policy tool, not something peculiar to developing economies. “If America is now saying, no, we are going to protect our industries, who are we in Africa not to protect our own industries?” he asked.
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‎𝗔 $𝟱𝟬 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
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‎Confiance News gathered that the Group has budgeted about $50 billion for investments between 2026 and 2030. Dangote described the programme as proof that Africa can execute large-scale industrial projects, and as a signal to other African entrepreneurs and investors to join in. “The legacy we are trying to set up is how do we industrialise our continent?” he said.
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‎He argued that development will depend on strong financial institutions, effective agricultural and industrial policies, and a fix for the infrastructure deficit that continues to hold back growth.
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‎𝟲𝟱𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆
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‎Unreliable electricity, Dangote said, is among the biggest obstacles to industrialisation. This is especially true in mining and mineral processing, where weak power supply often stops countries from adding value before export. He put the number of Africans without electricity at about 650 million, and said solving the problem would open up manufacturing, jobs and economic diversification.
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‎Still, he remained upbeat. Questioning why a continent with vast farmland, mineral wealth and a youthful population should endure widespread poverty, he insisted Africa has the foundations to become a major industrial force. “The journey has started,” he declared. “But now we’re awake, and we will make it happen.”
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