Nigerian billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote has strengthened his company’s investment footprint in Ethiopia following a weekend visit focused on advancing a multi-billion-dollar fertilizer project in the country’s Somali region. The planned urea fertilizer plant in Gode, developed through a partnership between the Ethiopian government and the Dangote Group, was initially valued at $2.5 billion and is expected to produce three million metric tones of urea annually. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the investment as a key part of the country’s food security and industrialization strategy, saying the partnership reflects a shared long-term vision between Ethiopia and Dangote Group. “Our interest is to have him in many areas because he’s delivering. As a government, we want to support him and realize our common vision. It’s a win-win for both of us,” Abiy said.
The Ethiopian government believes the project will help reduce the country’s dependence on imported fertilizer while positioning Ethiopia as a major fertilizer supplier within East Africa and beyond. Dangote Group later announced that its total investment commitment in Ethiopia has now exceeded $4 billion following the expansion of infrastructure linked to the fertilizer project. According to the company, the broader investment package includes the construction of a 110-kilometre gas pipeline, a 120-megawatt power plant, a polypropylene packaging facility and a two-million-tonne NPK fertilizer blending plant.
Dangote said Ethiopia has become one of the company’s largest investment destinations in Africa outside Nigeria. “So in totality, our investment so far, declared, agreed on and signed off, is over four billion dollars in Ethiopia. Ethiopia actually is the second largest receiver of our investment,” he said. The project is expected to boost agricultural productivity, improve fertilizer access for farmers and strengthen regional supply chains as Ethiopia seeks to accelerate economic growth through large-scale industrial investments.
