Dangote Calls For Africa’s Industrial Revolution, Showcases Cement, Fertiliser, Refinery At Trade Fair

Africa’s wealthiest man and President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has urged Africans to leverage internal strengths and global opportunities to fill existing gaps.

He also called for a deliberate re-orientation toward industrialisation of Africa’s manufacturing sector as a panacea against current global economic instability.

Dangote made the recommendations in his welcome address at the company’s Special Day at the ongoing 4th Intra-African Trade Fair in Algiers, Algeria, where he was represented by his Special Adviser, Ahmed Mansur.

The renowned entrepreneur encouraged operators in the manufacturing and industrial sectors across the continent to embrace a fundamental shift in mindset, develop robust regional value chains, and deepen intra-African trade as inward solutions to boost overall development.

Dangote noted that current geo-political tensions and trade wars had caused major economies to re-evaluate traditional trade partnerships with a view to diversifying supply chains, urging African exporters to seize the opportunity by competitively supplying required products.

“I am glad to be here at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF). I am immensely grateful to the organisers—not only for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to speak—but also for going a step further by dedicating this remarkable day to my organisation, Dangote Group. To have today officially set aside as Dangote Day is both an honour and a privilege.

“I thank the conveners—the African Export Import Bank, the African Union Commission, and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat—for organising this event. We appreciate the invaluable contributions you have made and the excellent work you continue to do in promoting, facilitating, and deepening trade and investment across the continent,” Dangote stated.

He said this year’s theme, “Gateway to New Opportunities”, resonates deeply as a reminder of the huge potential across Africa.

For too long, he said, Africa’s resources had been exported in raw form with little domestic processing.

“There must be a fundamental shift in mindset and a deliberate re-orientation toward industrialisation and the development of Africa’s manufacturing sector. While this was always necessary in the past, it is even more urgent today, given the alarming rise in youth unemployment, and the need for sustainable, inclusive growth.”

Dangote highlighted his group’s contributions to industrialisation: the largest cement company in sub-Saharan Africa with 52MMtpa capacity, a 3MMtpa fertiliser plant making Nigeria a net exporter of urea, and Africa’s biggest oil refinery with 650kbpd capacity, which is reducing dependence on imported refined products.

He stressed that Africa’s potential would only be fully realised if governments improved the business environment through policy reforms, infrastructure investment, and incentives to attract private capital.

At the Dangote Special Day, various subsidiaries—including Dangote Cement, Sugar, Salt (NASCON), Fertiliser, Polypropylene, and Packaging—made presentations and urged greater collaboration among African manufacturers.

Peter Uzoho

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