The President of Dangote Industries Ltd. (DIL), Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has projected that the company will earn up to $7 million daily from fertilizer exports within two years.
This was disclosed in a statement by the General Manager, Communication and Strategy at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Okechukwu Onyemekara, following Dangote’s visit to the NPA headquarters in Lagos, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
According to the statement, Africa’s richest man noted that DIL’s fertilizer exports would reach 16,000 tons daily, generating between $6.5 million and $7 million in revenue.
“In the next two years, we will be exporting about 16,000 tons of fertilizer. 16,000 tons of fertilizer, it’s actually about $6.5 million to $7 million revenue that will be coming into the country on a daily basis,” Dangote was quoted as saying.
He added that DIL was also expanding exports across other commodities, including cement, coal, petroleum products, and polypropylene. The cement factory at Itori, Ogun State, had already commenced export activities, with six million tons of cement designated for external markets.
Coal exports are expected to begin within weeks, while the upcoming Lekki refinery would deliver 25 million tons of refined products for export.
“We will also be exporting about 600,000 to 700,000 metric tons of polypropylene,” Dangote said.
“So when you are talking about export, we are going to be very big.”
He emphasized that with the scale of its operations, DIL is set to become the country’s leading private source of foreign exchange, and that port activity across Nigeria is expected to double within two years.
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The statement from Onyemekara noted that Dangote pledged to consistently spotlight port-related challenges to help the Federal Government bolster the NPA’s capacity.
He stressed the urgent need for additional equipment, including tugboats, to avoid export bottlenecks.
- The visit also highlighted a growing collaboration between Dangote Industries and the NPA to strengthen Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy. According to Dangote, DIL’s operations from Lekki alone will involve nearly 240 crude oil vessels and over 600 product ships annually.
- In response, NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, appreciated the commendation and highlighted ongoing reforms. He said the Federal Government’s “Naira for Crude” policy, launched on October 1, 2024, has led to the handling of over 57 vessels monthly—already surpassing Dangote’s yearly projection.
Dantsoho added that port modernisation works at Tin-Can and Apapa will begin in Q3 2025, while five new deep seaports—Ibom, Bakassi, Olokola, Ondo, and Badagry—have received Federal Executive Council approval.
He also revealed that 95% of cargoes processed via the National Single Window are ready for integration into the Port Community System and urged stronger inter-agency cooperation to boost port efficiency.
