Aliko Dangote eyes 2,000MW power plant and fertiliser complex in Tanzania after $800 million cement bet

Tanzania wants more of Aliko Dangote. Having already hosted one of the Nigerian billionaire's largest cement investments on the continent, President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government is now actively courting Dangote Industries for a pipeline of new projects spanning power generation, fertiliser production and port infrastructure.

The push was on display this week when a high-level Tanzanian delegation, led by Minister of State for Planning and Investment Kitila Mkumbo, traveled to Lagos to tour the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals complex. The visit was a direct follow-up to a June 29 meeting at State House in Dar es Salaam, where Dangote personally laid out an expanded investment proposal to President Samia.

That proposal covered a broad range of projects: port development, a 40-kilometer concrete access road to ease congestion around Tanzania's busiest ports, a special trade zone, a proposed 2,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant, a urea fertiliser plant and a transport corridor linking Mtwara to Mbamba Bay in southern Tanzania, an 812-kilometer stretch designed to streamline movement of raw materials and finished goods across the country.

"We have come here to make a follow-up on what they deliberated with our president in terms of further Dangote investments in Tanzania," Mkumbo said during the Lagos visit.

Dangote Group already has a substantial footprint in Tanzania. The group operates Tanzania's largest cement manufacturing plant, with an investment valued at approximately $800 million. That facility, located in Mtwara, produces three million tonnes of cement annually and serves both the domestic market and buyers across neighboring countries.

Mkumbo said Tanzania is particularly interested in Dangote's expertise in fertiliser manufacturing and petroleum refining, sectors the government views as critical to building out the country's industrial base and reducing its dependence on imported goods.

The minister pushed a broader argument as well, framing deeper ties with Dangote Group as a tool for advancing African economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area. "Africa now needs economic liberation, and that can only come through industrialisation," Mkumbo said.

Energy security was also a central theme of the delegation's messaging. Mkumbo pointed to global fuel price volatility, including disruptions tied to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, as evidence that Africa cannot afford to remain dependent on international markets for refined petroleum. Expanded domestic refining capacity, he argued, would help African economies absorb external shocks while lowering energy costs for businesses and households.

Dangote, for his part, said Tanzania remains one of Africa's most attractive investment destinations, noting that the group has identified several strategic sectors capable of delivering significant economic value.

President Samia moved quickly after the June meeting, directing Mkumbo to coordinate negotiations and lead discussions from the Tanzanian government's side. Whether the power plant, fertiliser complex and port investments translate into signed agreements will depend on the technical talks now underway between both sides.