Aliko Dangote scouts Zimbabwe for investments
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote arrived in Zimbabwe for exploratory discussions about potential investments in the southern African nation, according to presidential communications official George Charamba. The industrialist met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa as part of a reconnaissance mission to assess opportunities in the energy and fertilizer sectors.
Dangote Industries Limited operates across multiple industries, including cement manufacturing, sugar production, oil refining and fertilizer development. The conglomerate runs a Nigerian petroleum refinery generating 650,000 barrels per day while planning another facility at Walvis Bay in Namibia connected through a pipeline network spanning Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. Charamba emphasized that Dangote advocates for processing African raw materials domestically to generate employment opportunities.
Zimbabwe officials regard the visit as aligned with national industrialization objectives, though no agreements have been finalized. A previous investment effort by the Nigerian entrepreneur failed approximately ten years earlier amid bureaucratic obstacles, tariff disagreements and bribery accusations that reportedly frustrated his team.
