Dangote moves to build Atlantic seaport

By Obiabin Onukwugha
Africa’s Billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, has began moves to build a seaport aimed synergizing export activities with his businesses. He has already applied for approval to begin work on the facility near his fertiliser plant and oil refinery.
The proposed Atlantic seaport in Olokola, Ogun State, lies about 100 kilometres (62 miles) by road from the Dangote fertiliser plant and petrochemicals refinery in Lagos.
A Bloomberg report on Monday indicated that the proposed Atlantic seaport will link its logistics and export operations and other facilities in Lagos, to make it easier to export goods, including liquefied natural gas.
The report quoted the Vice President of the group, Devakumar Edwin, saying that Dangote plans to export liquefied gas from Lagos, a project that will involve constructing pipelines from Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta.
Currently, Dangote exports fertilizer and urea through a private jetty he built near the refinery site, the same jetty that also receives the heavy equipment needed for operations.
“It’s not that we want to do everything by ourselves,” Dangote said, “but I believe this kind of investment will inspire other entrepreneurs to get involved.
“We want to do a major project to bring in more gas than what NLNG is doing today,” said Aliko Dangote, referencing Nigeria LNG Ltd., the country’s leading liquefied natural gas exporter and a joint venture between the Nigerian government, Shell Plc, Eni SpA, and TotalEnergies SE.
“We know where there is a lot of gas, so we’ll run a pipeline all the way and bring it to the shore,” the report stated.
Dangote already taps into Nigeria’s gas-rich Niger Delta to power his massive fertilizer plant, where natural gas is used as feedstock to produce hydrogen for ammonia, a key ingredient in fertilizer production.
Earlier this year, the billionaire industrialist said his conglomerate is on track to generate $30 billion in total revenue by next year, even as global businesses express concerns about the potential impact of trade tariffs under U.S. President Donald Trump.
He added that the group also aims to surpass Qatar and become the world’s largest exporter of urea within the next four years.