By Segun Adeyanju
President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has said Africa must stop exporting raw materials while importing finished products, particularly in the energy sector.
Dangote made the call in Lagos during the signing of a $4.2 billion, 25-year natural gas supply agreement between Dangote Industries and GCL Group of China.
“Africa’s energy industry cannot continue indefinitely exporting raw materials while importing finished products. We must pursue a new path of highly autonomous development,” he said.
Under the agreement, GCL will supply natural gas to power Dangote Group’s planned 3-million-tonne-per-year urea fertiliser plant in Ethiopia. The $2.5 billion facility, being developed in partnership with Ethiopian Investment Holdings, is expected to commence operations in 2029.
Located in the Somali Region, the project will source gas from the Calub Gas Field in the Ogaden Basin through a 108-kilometre pipeline to the plant.
Dangote said the initiative would create a closed-loop value chain from gas extraction to fertiliser production, boosting Africa’s food security and reducing dependence on imports.
Chairman of GCL Group, Zhu Gongshan, described the partnership as a major step toward expanding energy, chemical, and agricultural development in Ethiopia and across Africa.
When completed, the fertiliser plant is expected to become East Africa’s largest, meeting Ethiopia’s urea demand and supplying neighbouring markets.
