Nigeria Set to Generate $7 Million Daily from Fertiliser Exports — Dangote
President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that Nigeria could earn up to $7 million daily from fertiliser exports over the next two years, positioning his company as a key contributor to the nation’s foreign exchange inflow.
Dangote made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Lagos. He explained that his company intends to export around 16,000 tonnes of fertiliser daily, with the expected revenue significantly boosting Nigeria’s economy.
“In two years, our fertiliser export is projected to hit 16,000 tonnes per day. That translates to between $6.5 million and $7 million entering the country daily. This export drive will place us among the leading providers of foreign exchange in Nigeria,” he said.
He also shared plans to begin exporting coal in the coming weeks, in addition to other major export activities.
“Our refinery operations will produce about 25 million tonnes of various petroleum products for export. We are also targeting the export of between 600,000 and 700,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene annually,” Dangote added.
He emphasized the importance of a strong partnership with the NPA to facilitate maritime growth and support the expansion of Nigeria’s export sector. Highlighting Dangote Industries Limited as one of the NPA’s largest clients, he said sustained collaboration is vital for national economic development.
“We discussed a broad range of topics, including the need to grow Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy sector. It’s critical that we work together to drive meaningful progress,” he said.
Describing the scale of operations at the Lekki site, Dangote noted that the refinery alone will require nearly 240 crude-carrying vessels annually, with additional ships needed for products and fertiliser transport. “Altogether, we’re looking at over 600 ships per year for various operations, including eight ships dedicated to fertiliser,” he explained. “This level of shipping activity is unprecedented in the country.”
He called on the Federal Government to provide the NPA with the necessary equipment and logistical support to manage this growing demand, noting that the success of his operations relies heavily on the agency’s efficiency.
“We’ll also advocate for the NPA to get more resources—like tugboats and modern port equipment—because they can’t do this alone. Their performance is crucial to ours,” Dangote said.
The industrialist also touched on cement exports, noting that the company operates a six-million-tonne cement plant dedicated to international markets. He projected a significant increase in port activity as exports expand over the next one to two years.
Responding to the visit, NPA Managing Director Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho stated that Dangote’s appreciation was tied to the success of the naira-for-crude trade initiative, coordinated by the NPA under the One-Stop-Shop policy.
“Dangote is acknowledging how this policy has streamlined operations and improved coordination among government agencies. It’s been a major step forward in boosting transaction efficiency,” Dantsoho said.
He shared that since October 2024, the NPA has been handling an average of 57 vessels monthly, already surpassing earlier projections of 600 vessels annually.
“We are committed to maintaining this momentum with continued government support. If agencies can continue working together on a single platform, we’ll see even greater efficiency across sectors,” he added.
Dantsoho also confirmed that the Federal Government has approved the National Single Window system, and the NPA is nearly ready to launch its Port Community System, currently 95% complete.
On port infrastructure, he highlighted the need for capacity upgrades. “We can either modernize existing ports or build new ones. The last new port built by the government was Tincan Island Port in 1977. Now, with approvals in place, we expect construction work on the modernisation of Tincan and Apapa ports to begin in the third
quarter of this year,” he stated.
