Tanzania woos Dangote for fertiliser, energy investments

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The Tanzanian Government has expressed interest in attracting fresh investments from Dangote Group in fertiliser production, energy and industrial infrastructure as it seeks to accelerate economic development.

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The Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for Planning and Investment, Prof Kitila Mkumbo, disclosed this when a Tanzanian delegation visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos recently.

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In a statement on Sunday, Mkumbo said the visit was aimed at advancing discussions between the Tanzanian Government and the Dangote Group on expanding the company’s investment footprint in the East African country.

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The minister said the discussions followed an earlier meeting between Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, on possible new investments by the conglomerate.

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He said Dangote already had a significant presence in Tanzania, where it operates the country’s largest cement manufacturing plant, with an investment valued at about $800m.

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“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.

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According to him, Tanzania was particularly interested in Dangote’s expertise in fertiliser production and refinery operations, which he said could support industrial development and economic growth in the region.

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The minister also called for stronger economic integration among African countries, saying the continent needed to move beyond political cooperation towards greater industrialisation.

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He said deeper collaboration with the Dangote Group would support economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area and strengthen manufacturing capacity across the continent.

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“Africa now needs economic liberation, and that can only come through industrialisation,” he said.

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Mkumbo described Dangote as a leading African industrialist whose investments were expanding beyond Nigeria and contributing to industrial development across the continent.

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He said Tanzania was looking forward to working with the group to promote Pan-African industrialisation and expand regional manufacturing capacity.

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The minister also stressed the importance of developing local refining capacity to strengthen Africa’s energy security, particularly amid disruptions in the global oil market.

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He pointed to the effects of tensions around the Strait of Hormuz on global fuel prices, saying increased refining capacity from facilities such as the Dangote refinery could help African economies withstand external shocks.

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Mkumbo said access to affordable and reliable energy remained crucial to economic development, adding that expanded refining capacity would help reduce energy costs and improve living standards across Africa.

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The visit was part of continuing engagements between the Tanzanian Government and Dangote Group to explore opportunities for strategic investment, industrial development and regional economic integration.

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