DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, has unveiled plans for a fresh wave of multi-billion-dollar investments in Tanzania after holding talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan aimed at expanding the country’s industrial and transport infrastructure.
The meeting, held at the State House in Dar es Salaam on Monday, focused on a proposed investment roadmap covering energy, fertiliser production, port infrastructure and logistics projects.
According to details released after the meeting, Dangote Industries Limited is considering the development of a 2,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant, a urea fertiliser factory, port infrastructure and a special economic zone to support industrial growth.
The proposal also includes the construction of a 40-kilometre concrete access road designed to ease congestion around Tanzania’s major ports, as well as an 812-kilometre transport corridor linking Mtwara to Mbamba Bay to improve the movement of raw materials and finished products.
President Suluhu directed Planning and Investment Minister Kitila Mkumbo to spearhead negotiations on behalf of the Tanzanian government, signalling the administration’s intention to fast-track discussions.
A Tanzanian delegation is also expected to travel to Nigeria in the coming weeks to engage Dangote Industries officials and finalise the implementation framework for the proposed projects.
The planned investments would significantly expand Dangote Group’s presence in Tanzania, where it already operates a cement manufacturing plant in Mtwara valued at approximately USD500 million (about Sh65 billion).
The facility has an annual production capacity of three million tonnes and supplies cement to both the Tanzanian market and neighbouring countries across the East African region.
During the discussions, Dangote also addressed the location of his proposed East African oil refinery, explaining why the project is now expected to be developed in Kenya rather than Tanzania.
He said the decision was based on commercial and technical considerations but invited the Tanzanian government to participate as an investor in the planned refinery.
The refinery proposal became the subject of regional attention after President William Ruto announced during a Nairobi infrastructure forum that it would be established in Tanga, Tanzania. President Suluhu later stated publicly that no such agreement had been reached by her government.
Following the diplomatic confusion, Dangote indicated that Kenya had emerged as the preferred destination, citing Mombasa’s deeper port infrastructure and the country’s larger domestic fuel market, while noting that the final site selection rests with the Kenyan government.