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Dangote Group is exploring opportunities to expand its industrial investments into Egypt, potentially marking a significant milestone in its pan-African growth strategy and strengthening economic ties between Africa’s two largest economies.
The development follows a visit by a high-level Egyptian delegation led by the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, to the Dangote Industries complex in Lagos. The delegation met with senior executives to explore industrial collaboration, investment partnerships and capacity expansion across key sectors.
Accompanied by officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and senior oil and petrochemical executives, the delegation examined opportunities for Nigerian and Egyptian businesses to establish mutually beneficial ventures.
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, described the visit as a symbol of African economic integration and the Group’s commitment to continental industrialisation.
“This demonstrates true African integration. It reflects our belief that African businesses must invest across the continent to accelerate industrialisation and economic development. We are proud to be an African company building industries that create value for Africa,” Dangote said.
He said the engagement provided an opportunity to showcase the Group’s industrial capabilities and identify partnerships that could strengthen production capacity in both countries.
Saleh said the mission aimed to translate diplomatic and business engagements between Nigeria and Egypt into concrete investment opportunities. He noted that previous interactions with Dangote Group at the Alamein Economic Conference and other investment forums had laid the groundwork for the visit.
“We are impressed by the scale of operations we have seen here – from refining and petrochemicals to fertiliser production. Our objective is to identify areas where Egyptian and Nigerian businesses can collaborate, expand industrial capacities and create long-term value for both economies,” Saleh said.
He stressed that private-sector collaboration would be central to unlocking the potential of bilateral economic relations.
“The private sector must be at the centre of this partnership. By learning from each other’s experiences and combining our strengths, we can expand industrial production, encourage investment flows and create sustainable growth opportunities for our people,” he added.
Saleh highlighted the combined market of approximately 400 million people in Nigeria and Egypt, noting that Nigeria’s energy resources and Egypt’s industrial base offer complementary strengths for cooperation in manufacturing, energy, petrochemicals and fertilisers.
He said collaboration could encourage Nigerian companies to invest in Egypt and Egyptian businesses to expand in Nigeria, generating jobs, technology transfer, skills development and supporting industries.
Asked whether Egypt would welcome a Dangote refinery, Saleh said opportunities extended beyond refining.
“It doesn’t have to be a refinery specifically. There are several sectors in which collaboration can happen. What is important is building a partnership that creates value for both countries and for Africa as a whole,” he said.
The engagement aligns with Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy to expand its African industrial footprint, strengthen regional value chains and position the continent as a globally competitive manufacturing hub.
Potential areas of cooperation include fertiliser production, manufacturing, energy investments and industrial services, supporting both countries’ industrialisation and job-creation ambitions.
