Dangote Says Fertilizer Exports Will Earn Nigeria $7 Million Daily
President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has announced that Nigeria could earn up to $7 million daily from fertilizer exports over the next two years. He made this statement during a visit to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Lagos.
Dangote revealed that the company plans to export about 16,000 tonnes of fertilizer daily, which could become a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the country. “With this export programme, our company will become Nigeria’s top contributor to foreign exchange,” he stated.
He also revealed that Dangote Industries will soon begin exporting coal and other products. He mentioned that the company’s refinery is set to export no less than 25 million tonnes of various petroleum products annually, along with 600,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene.
“This is just the beginning. When it comes to export, Dangote will be very big,” he said, highlighting the growing scale of the company’s export operations.
Dangote stressed the importance of working with the NPA to boost Nigeria’s marine and blue economy. He noted that Dangote Industries is currently NPA’s biggest customer and emphasized that strong collaboration is essential for long-term growth.
The business mogul shared that Dangote’s refinery at Lekki alone would involve around 240 ships of crude annually, each carrying one million barrels. In total, the operation could see over 600 ships per year, with additional ships for fertilizer exports.
“Such large-scale port activities have never happened before in Nigeria,” Dangote noted. He added that without proper support from the NPA, operations of this magnitude would be impossible. He called for more equipment, tugboats, and support from the Federal Government to ensure smooth port operations.
The company is also already exporting cement from a dedicated six-million-tonne facility and plans to double port activity in Nigeria within the next two years.
NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, said Dangote’s visit was to show appreciation for the naira-for-crude policy that has helped simplify operations and improve efficiency among government agencies. Dantsoho disclosed that since the policy’s introduction in October 2024, NPA has handled up to 57 vessels per month, surpassing earlier estimates.
He also mentioned the government’s approval of a National Single Window and said the NPA is nearly ready for the full rollout of the Port Community System. On plans, he added that Nigeria is preparing to begin building new ports, including the long-awaited modernisation of Tincan and Apapa ports, possibly starting in the third quarter of this year.
