President of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has announced bold export projections that could transform Nigeria’s revenue profile and maritime economy, revealing that the company will begin exporting 16,000 tonnes of fertiliser daily within two years, translating to $6.5 to $7 million in daily revenue for the country.
Dangote made this known during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Marina, Lagos, on Monday. He stated that with the fertiliser export programme alone, Dangote Industries is positioned to become Nigeria’s largest private source of foreign exchange earnings.
“In the next two years, we will be exporting about 16,000 tonnes of fertiliser daily. That’s around $6.5 to $7 million flowing into the country each day,” he said. “With this, we will be the major supplier of forex earnings in Nigeria.”
He further revealed that coal exports will commence in the coming weeks, while the company’s refinery operations are projected to export no less than 25 million tonnes of refined products annually, along with 600,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene.
“When it comes to exports, we are going to be very big,” Dangote said confidently.
Strengthening Ties with the NPA and Marine Economy
Dangote emphasized the importance of sustained collaboration with the NPA to support the expansion of Nigeria’s export activities and the growth of the Marine and Blue Economy sector.
“We’ve had a productive discussion on deepening collaboration with the NPA. As their largest customer, maintaining strong interaction is critical for the growth of the industry,” he noted.
He disclosed that operations at Lekki alone would involve 240 crude-carrying ships annually, each transporting a million barrels of oil. The combined operations including fertiliser and refined product exports would generate over 600 vessels annually, a scale he described as “unprecedented in Nigerian maritime history.”
Ports Critical to Export Boom
Dangote stressed that the success of DIL’s operations hinges heavily on the capacity and efficiency of Nigeria’s ports, calling for urgent support for the NPA to meet the demands of expanding trade volumes.
“The NPA needs backing from the Federal Government better equipment, more tugboats. Without the right infrastructure, our operations could be compromised. We will advocate where needed to ensure the NPA gets the necessary support,” he said.
He also disclosed that DIL currently operates a six-million-tonne cement export facility, and that Nigeria’s port activities could double within the next 12 to 24 months as the company scales up exports across sectors.
NPA Hails Dangote’s Support, Confirms Record Vessel Traffic
Responding, Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, confirmed that Dangote’s visit was partly to appreciate the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude sales policy, which the NPA coordinates through a One-Stop-Shop framework.
“Since the policy kicked off in October 2024, we’ve averaged 57 vessel operations monthly, surpassing Dangote’s initial projections of 600 vessels per year,” Dantsoho said.
He noted that the NPA has made significant progress on its Port Community System, adding that 95% of work on the platform has been completed. The platform is part of the broader National Single Window initiative aimed at improving inter-agency collaboration and port efficiency.
Port Modernisation and Future Capacity
Dantsoho revealed that the government has given the green light for the modernisation of Tincan and Apapa ports, adding that construction could begin as early as Q3 2025.
“The last time Nigeria built a new port was in 1977 Tincan Island. Now, we’re preparing to both modernise existing ports and potentially launch new ones under a greenfield strategy,” he said.
The meeting between Dangote and NPA leadership signals a critical alignment of private sector ambition and public sector infrastructure goals, as Nigeria positions itself for a new era of industrial-scale exports and maritime growth.
