Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has hailed Nigeria’s emergence as the continent’s leading cement exporter, crediting strategic investments and local production capacity for transforming the country from a major importer into a dominant player in the African cement market.
- Aliko Dangote emphasized Nigeria’s achievement as Africa’s top cement exporter due to local investments and production capacity.
- Nigeria transitioned from being the world’s second-largest cement importer to a dominant exporter in the region.
- Strategic industry advancements in Nigeria highlight the transformative power of local industrial investments.
Dangote noted that Nigeria, once the second-largest importer of cement globally, now exports more cement than any other African country, thanks to massive local investment in production capacity.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, delivered a compelling address at the recently held Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event in Nigeria, showcasing the country’s progress in health and business sectors.
Speaking alongside philanthropist Bill Gates, Dangote emphasized the impact of strategic partnerships and domestic investment in reversing long-standing challenges.
Shifting to the business sector, Dangote emphasized the transformative role of industrial investments in reversing Nigeria’s dependency on imports.
“Nigeria used to be the second-largest importer of cement in the world,” he said. “Now we export more cement than any other African country.”
Dangote’s cement export milestone
Nigerian-based Dangote Cement is Africa’s largest cement producer, boasting a total installed capacity of 48.6 million tonnes per annum (Mt/a) across the continent.
Of this, 32.3 Mt/a is installed within Nigeria, while the remaining 16.3 Mt/a capacity is spread across nine other African countries, including Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Senegal, Zambia, and Sierra Leone.
To reaffirm its status as Africa’s largest cement producer, Dangote Cement last year announced the dispatch of seven shipments of clinker from Nigeria to Ghana and Cameroon.
The company also reported that clinker exports for the first quarter of 2024 surged by 87.2 percent, reaching 264,000 metric tonnes, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s transition from a bulk cement importer to a major exporter in the region.
Clinker is a solid, granular substance formed by heating limestone and other raw materials in a kiln. It is the intermediate product in cement production and is ground into fine powder and blended with gypsum to produce finished cement.
Until recently, Nigeria ranked among the world’s largest importers of cement.
However, sustained investments in local manufacturing—led by Dangote Cement—have enabled the country to not only meet domestic demand but also expand into regional markets.
Sources within the company indicate that clinker exports are set to increase significantly in the coming months as Dangote Cement scales up operations and targets additional African destinations.
This expansion aligns with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning Nigeria to strengthen intra-African trade, particularly within the ECOWAS region.
