Cape Town – Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is planning an undersea petroleum pipeline linking Nigeria to Ghana as part of an ambitious expansion of his fuel distribution network across Africa.
The proposed pipeline would transport petrol and other refined petroleum products from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, to markets in West Africa, potentially reducing transportation costs and strengthening regional fuel supplies.
According to Billionaires.Africa, the pipeline would run from Lekki to Apapa port before passing underwater through Seme, near the Benin border, to Lomé in Togo and eventually Takoradi or Tema in Ghana.
The route would broadly follow the existing West African Gas Pipeline, which transports Nigerian natural gas to Benin, Togo and Ghana.
People familiar with the Dangote Group’s plans reportedly said construction could begin in 2028, after progress on other petroleum infrastructure projects in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Namibia.
However, the proposed pipeline’s construction cost, length and transportation capacity have not yet been disclosed.
Strong offtake market
The development was also reported by energy publication Africa Oil+Gas Report, which confirmed the proposed route and the 2028 construction target.
The publication said the project would enable Dangote’s refinery to supply Togo directly while challenging the established Lomé fuel trading hub, from which Nigerian petroleum marketers currently import some products.
Ghana’s growing demand for imported fuel
The proposed infrastructure comes as Ghana seeks to strengthen its access to refined petroleum products.
In February, Shore Africa reported that Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority chief executive, Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, had confirmed commercial discussions with Dangote Group over fuel imports.
“That scale may sound insignificant in Nigeria, but in Ghana it is considered sizeable,” Tameklo said, referring to Ghana’s limited domestic refining capacity.
He added: “Ghana therefore represents a strong offtake market for the Dangote Refinery.”
Part of a wider African expansion
The Nigerian industrialist’s latest plans form part of a broader strategy to establish an extensive petroleum distribution network across the continent.
According to Reuters, Dangote is already involved in a $660 million refined petroleum pipeline project connecting Djibouti and Ethiopia.
The 120km pipeline will include storage facilities with a combined capacity of approximately 1.175 million cubic metres.
Billionaires.Africa also reported that Dangote Group acquired a 24.76% stake in Kenya Pipeline Company for approximately $327 million in October.
The group has additionally outlined plans for a 2,650km pipeline costing an estimated $3.5 billion to transport fuel across Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
Dangote’s wider investment programme is expected to reach approximately $50 billion between 2026 and 2030.
The expansion reflects the billionaire’s ambition to move beyond refining and establish an integrated African fuel supply network, connecting production facilities with markets that remain heavily dependent on imported petroleum products.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
