Botswana is seeking Aliko Dangote’s backing for major industrial and infrastructure projects, including a cement plant and a strategic railway linking the country to Namibia, as the billionaire expands his business across Africa.
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Duma Boko, Botswana President, urged Dangote to consider large-scale investments during a meeting in Gaborone, saying the country was looking for major capital projects that could accelerate industrialisation and create jobs.
The talks focused on heavy industry and transport, with the proposed Trans Kalahari rail line emerging as one of the main opportunities. Boko said the project should break ground this year and could create demand for large volumes of cement and other construction materials.
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Botswana relies heavily on imported cement, making local production a potential way to reduce construction costs while supporting employment and domestic manufacturing.
Boko also encouraged Dangote to work with Botswana’s pension funds and other domestic investors to finance future projects, stressing the importance of bringing local capital into major developments.
The Trans Kalahari railway is intended to connect Botswana to Namibia’s Walvis Bay, giving the landlocked country a more direct route to international markets and reducing its dependence on transport links through South Africa.
The discussions did not result in formal contracts. Still, they mark a potential new expansion market for Dangote Group as it pursues its ambition of increasing annual group revenue fivefold to $100 billion by 2030.
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Dangote, Africa’s richest person, has built one of the continent’s largest cement businesses, with operations across several African countries. His industrial expansion has also extended into oil, gas and petrochemicals.
In Nigeria, the Dangote refinery near Lagos, with a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude per day, is preparing for a second crude distillation unit that could eventually raise total capacity to about 1.45 million barrels per day.
The group is also pursuing an initial public offering of the refinery on the Nigerian Exchange, subject to regulatory approval. The proposed transaction is expected to support further investment in the refinery and the group’s wider African expansion.
In East Africa, Dangote Industries has confirmed plans for a $17 billion petrochemical complex in Lamu, Kenya, designed to produce refined fuels, chemicals and fertiliser.
For Botswana, attracting Dangote would fit into President Boko’s push to diversify an economy long dependent on diamond mining and build stronger manufacturing and logistics industries.
Boko told Dangote that Africa’s growing population creates a need for greater local production of basic goods and stronger infrastructure.
The talks therefore offer Dangote an opportunity to expand his manufacturing footprint in Southern Africa while giving Botswana a potential partner for projects central to its economic diversification plans.
