Why Nigeria's Dangote Group Is Betting Big On India | Africa's Richest Man Aliko Dangote Speaks

In this interview with Riddhima Bhatnagar of Business Today, Aliko Dangote Founder, President of Dangote Group and Africa’s richest  industrialist breaks down why India has become an indispensable partner in his next wave of mega industrial projects for Dangote industries.

Dangote explains how Indian companies have supported his growth for over two decades, especially in refining, petrochemicals and fertilizers. He highlights the engineering and fabrication excellence of firms like Engineers India Ltd (EIL), which successfully delivered key components of the refinery. With his new expansion projects now underway, he reveals India is positioned to receive over $5 billion in orders for equipment, fabrication, steel structures and shipping over the next 18–20 months creating substantial opportunities and jobs.

Dangote also elaborates on his decision to expand his refinery to 1.4 million barrels per day, making it one of the world’s most efficient refining hubs. With Africa still reliant on imported gasoline and diesel, he outlines how the expanded facility will secure supply within the continent while also serving global jet fuel markets across Europe, the US and Latin America.

On fertilizers, he discusses the scale-up from 3 million to 12 million tons, aimed at transforming agricultural productivity in Africa by ensuring timely, reliable availability. India, being one of the largest importers of urea, is a key export target due to short sailing times and cost competitiveness.

Importantly, Dangote addresses geopolitical and market risks from financing challenges to global trade barriers. He explains why his diversification across Africa, competitive pricing and strong product quality make the Dangote Group resilient to such disruptions, noting that fertilizer duties imposed earlier by the US have now been withdrawn after farmer pushback.

Looking ahead, he confirms growing interest in data centres, mining and other natural-resource-driven sectors, emphasising that India and Africa are evolving from trading partners to active co-creators of industrial capacity and economic growth.