Dangote signs deal to invest over $1bn in Zimbabwe

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Dangote Group, says the company has signed a deal to invest over $1 billion in cement and energy in Zimbabwe.

Dangote spoke to journalists after meeting with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare on Wednesday.

The billionaire businessman said he signed an agreement on behalf of Dangote Group to build cement and power plants as well as a fuel pipeline.

“… we have just actually signed an agreement between Zimbabwe and Dangote Group to do various investments in various sectors, some of which, of course, border on cement, some of it in power generation, and some of it in pipelines to bring petroleum products,” he said.

Dangote said the investment will be worth over $1 billion “because of the pipeline”, noting that the group is planning a couple of other investments in the country.

Speaking on governance in Zimbabwe, he said Mnangagwa transformed the economy, adding that “there is a lot of transparency”.

“And also, when you look at what His Excellency has actually done in terms of turning the economy around, that really gave us the confidence that this is the right time for us to come and invest,” Dangote said.

“And, you know, it’s like somebody, when you pass the exam, people have to give you a good mark. So His Excellency has passed that exam.”

Dangote previously expressed interest in similar investments in Zimbabwe in 2015, including plans for his Dangote Cement Plc to build a $400 million plant with a processing capacity of 1.5 million tons annually.

With the latest deal signing, Dangote is adding Zimbabwe to his list of investment destinations across the continent, which includes Ethiopia and Zambia.

On October 5, the Dangote Group commenced the construction of a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant in Gode, Ethiopia.

The project, a joint venture between the conglomerate and the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is expected to have an annual production capacity of three million metric tonnes of urea, positioning it among the largest fertiliser complexes in the world.

Dangote Cement had also built a 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mta) plant in Zambia. The plant began operations in the second quarter (Q2) of 2015, according to information on the company’s website.