Africa’s
richest man Aliko Dangote has filed paperwork to begin construction of a
Deep seaport near his fertilizer and oil refinery plants to make it
easier to export goods — including liquefied natural gas — and support
the rapid growth of his industrial empire, Bloomberg reported.
Dangote
plans “to build the biggest, deepest port in Nigeria,” took wings after
he sent in the paperwork for permission in late June, he said in an
interview.
The proposed Atlantic seaport in Olokola, Ogun
state, lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) by road from the
billionaire’s fertilizer plant and petrochemicals refinery in Lagos.
Dangote currently exports urea and fertilizer through an on-site jetty
he built, that also receives heavy equipment for the refinery.
Once
completed, the port will link the conglomerate’s logistics and export
operations and rival facilities in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital,
including the Chinese-funded Lekki Deep Sea Port opened in 2023.
Lekki
Deep Seaport currently has a capacity of 1.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot
equivalent units) per year, which is planned to be expanded to handle
2.7 million TEUs annually.
It can accommodate vessels with a capacity of up to 18,000 TEUs, including container ships, bulk carriers, and oil tankers.
“It’s
not that we want to do everything by ourselves, but I think doing this
will encourage other entrepreneurs to come into it,” he said.
Dangote
also plans to export liquefied gas from Lagos, a project that will
involve constructing pipelines from Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta.,
vice-president of the group Devakumar Edwin said in another interview.
“We
want to do a major project to bring more gas than what NLNG is doing
today,” he said, referring to Nigeria LNG Ltd., a joint-venture between
the government, Shell Plc, Eni and TotalEnergies SA, which is currently
the continent’s largest exporter of LNG.
“We know where there is a lot of gas, so run a pipeline all through and then bring it to the shore.”
Dangote
already sources natural gas from the Niger Delta to supply his
fertilizer plant, where it’s used as feedstock to produce hydrogen for
ammonia — a key component in the production of the crop nutrient
https://moneycentral.com.ng/companies/article/dangote-files-paperwork-to-build-nigerias-biggest-deep-seaport-in-ogun-lng-terminal/I
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The
Coastal Super Highway along the Lagos axis should be expanded to a
minimum of 10 lanes to accommodate projected vehicular, logistics, and
trade volumes. In tandem, a dedicated rail line must be integrated
within this corridor to support sustainable, multimodal transport,
especially given the increasing concentration of global-standard
infrastructure projects anchoring this economic zone.
As Lagos
serves as Nigeria’s prime international gateway, it is imperative that
its transport backbone evolves to match global throughput expectations
and urban density challenges. Such foresight will not only decongest
traffic but will also future-proof the region for regional integration
under frameworks like AfCFTA.
Looking ahead, the Ibom Maritime
Axis stands to benefit from the maturation curve of development
currently unfolding in Lagos. The lessons learned, particularly around
planning missteps and implementation bottlenecks, will serve as a
strategic blueprint ensuring that Phase II of Nigeria’s coastal economic
evolution is governed by efficiency, resilience, and innovation. |
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