President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening food security across Africa through major investments in fertiliser production and agricultural infrastructure.
Dangote made the remarks while addressing journalists in Gode during a visit hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
During the visit, the Prime Minister accompanied Dangote to inspect the site of the proposed fertiliser plant where construction activities are already underway.
Speaking on the importance of fertiliser to agricultural productivity, Dangote said Africa’s food insecurity challenges are closely linked to poor access to agricultural inputs.
“Africa holds immense agricultural potential, yet continues to grapple with food insecurity due to limited access to fertiliser,” he said.
“Through our investments, we are committed to reversing this trend by boosting productivity, empowering farmers, and advancing a sustainable path to food self-sufficiency.”
Dangote said the continent has the capacity to feed itself and become a major exporter of agricultural products if investments in fertiliser production and agricultural systems are sustained.
“Africa has the capacity to feed itself and even export to the rest of the world. Our fertiliser investments across the continent are designed to unlock that potential and secure a prosperous future for our people,” Dangote stated.
He also announced that the Group’s investment in Ethiopia has increased from $2.5 billion to more than $4 billion.
According to him, the expanded investment scope includes the development of a 110-kilometre pipeline, a 120MW power plant, a polypropylene packaging facility and a two-million-tonne NPK blending plant.
Dangote described Ethiopia as one of the company’s most strategic investment destinations in Africa.
“In total, our declared and signed investments in Ethiopia now exceed $4 billion. This makes Ethiopia the second-largest recipient of our investments in Africa, accounting for nearly nine per cent of our continental outlay between now and 2030,” he said.
He also commended Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for driving economic transformation in the country.
“The Prime Minister is driving development beyond expectations, but such progress requires strong private sector collaboration. We are proud to partner with Ethiopia to help build one of Africa’s most dynamic economies in the coming decade,” he added.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described Dangote as a trusted investment partner and praised the progress already made on the fertiliser project.
According to him, the project aligns with Ethiopia’s broader agricultural and industrial development priorities.
He said the fertiliser plant would help expand local fertiliser production, reduce dependence on imports and support millions of farmers across the country.
The Prime Minister added that the project is expected to create jobs, strengthen industrial value chains and position Ethiopia as a growing agro-industrial hub in Africa.
“This type of large-scale investment demonstrates the power of strong collaboration between government and the private sector,” he said.
“Expanding such partnerships will accelerate economic growth, attract further investment, and improve the livelihoods of our people.”
The fertiliser initiative is expected to strengthen agricultural productivity, improve food security and support long-term agro-industrial development across Africa.
