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Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is widening his focus beyond oil and petrochemicals. After outlining plans to lift the processing capacity of his refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day within three years, the billionaire industrialist is turning attention to another long-term goal: ending Nigeria’s dependence on imported sugar.
Dangote Sugar unveils $700 million expansion
Dangote Sugar Refinery, one of the group’s subsidiaries, plans to invest more than $700 million in land development, equipment, infrastructure, training and community engagement. The aim, according to company officials, is to build a supply chain that can produce enough raw sugar locally to meet domestic demand and support future manufacturing expansion.
At the Lagos International Trade Fair, the company unveiled new Stock Keeping Units that will go into nationwide distribution. Ravindra Singhvi, CEO of Dangote Sugar Refinery, said the rollout is tied to the push to deepen its backward-integration strategy. The sugar packs will come in 100g, 250g, 500g and 1kg sizes, broadening access to households and small businesses.
Refinery, fertilizer projects drive growth
Fatima Aliko-Dangote, the Group Executive Director of Commercial Operations, said the company’s wider goal remains the same: strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base and keep more of the value chain within the country. She noted that industrial expansion offers the strongest path to job creation and can help support smaller businesses that rely on local manufacturing.
She linked the sugar initiative to the group’s ongoing work in refining, fertilizers and petrochemicals. Represented at the event by Dangote Cement’s Sales and Marketing Director, Funmi Sanni, she confirmed that the refinery project is on track to hit 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028. She added that expansions under Dangote Fertiliser Limited and Dangote Polypropylene are also designed to boost output and reduce import pressure.
Beyond Nigeria, the company is deepening its footprint across Africa. Sanni pointed to the $2.5 billion urea fertiliser complex under development in Gode, Ethiopia, a joint project with Ethiopian Investment Holdings. The facility, expected to produce three million tonnes of urea annually, will support farmers and create thousands of jobs when completed.
Dangote Sugar lifts revenue, cuts losses
Dangote Sugar Refinery remains the country’s largest sugar producer, with capacity of 1.44 million metric tonnes. Dangote holds a 68 percent stake in the company. In the first nine months of its 2025 fiscal year, revenue rose to N626.24 billion ($434.6 million), up from N484.42 billion ($336 million) a year earlier.
Losses narrowed sharply as well, falling from N184.4 billion ($128 million) in the same period of 2024 to N10.59 billion ($7.3 million), marking one of the company’s strongest operational improvements in recent years.
