The Dangote Group is exploring opportunities to expand its industrial investments into Egypt as part of efforts to strengthen its pan-African operations and deepen economic ties between both countries.

The development followed a visit by an Egyptian delegation led by the country’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr Mohamed Farid Saleh, to the Dangote Industries complex in Lagos.

The delegation, which included officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and executives from its oil and petrochemical industry, held discussions with Dangote Group executives on potential investment partnerships and industrial collaboration in key sectors.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, described the visit as a demonstration of African economic integration and the need for businesses on the continent to invest beyond their national borders.

“This demonstrates true African integration. It reflects our belief that African businesses must invest across the continent to accelerate industrialisation and economic development. We are proud to be an African company building industries that create value for Africa,” Dangote said.

He said the engagement provided an opportunity to showcase the Group’s industrial capabilities and identify areas of cooperation that could strengthen production capacity in both countries.

Saleh said the visit was aimed at translating diplomatic and business engagements between Nigeria and Egypt into concrete investment opportunities.

He noted that Egypt was particularly interested in the Dangote Group’s operations in refining, petrochemicals, fertiliser production and related manufacturing activities.

“We are impressed by the scale of operations we have seen here—from refining and petrochemicals to fertiliser production. Our objective is to identify areas where Egyptian and Nigerian businesses can collaborate, expand industrial capacities and create long-term value for both economies,” Saleh said.

He stressed that private-sector participation would be crucial to expanding economic cooperation between the two countries.

Saleh also highlighted the combined market of approximately 400 million people in Nigeria and Egypt, noting that their complementary strengths offered opportunities for industrial growth across Africa.

He said Nigeria’s energy resources and Egypt’s established industrial base could support deeper cooperation in manufacturing, energy, petrochemicals and fertiliser production.

Asked whether Egypt would welcome an investment in a Dangote refinery, Saleh said collaboration could extend beyond refining to several other sectors.

“It doesn’t have to be a refinery specifically. There are several sectors in which collaboration can happen. What is important is building a partnership that creates value for both countries and for Africa as a whole,” he said.

The engagement aligns with Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy to expand its industrial presence across Africa, strengthen regional value chains and boost the continent’s manufacturing capacity.