Aliko Dangote Launches $2.5 Billion Fuel Project in Namibia
Aliko Dangote and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah launched a $2.5 billion petroleum storage and pipeline project in Walvis Bay to supply landlocked Southern African nations.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote launched a petroleum storage and regional pipeline project in Walvis Bay, Namibia, on November 5, 2026. The investment, estimated at $2.5 billion by most sources though some Namibian media report $3.5 billion, aims to establish Walvis Bay as a regional fuel logistics hub to reduce shipping costs and strengthen energy independence across Africa.
The project includes a tank farm with a 600-million-litre capacity—comprising 360 million litres of diesel and 240 million litres of petrol—which is eight times the capacity of Namibia's existing state-owned facility. A 1,700-kilometre pipeline network will extend from Walvis Bay toward Otjiwarongo, with further connections to Rundu and into Botswana via Ghanzi and Francistown. This infrastructure is designed to distribute fuel from Dangote's Nigerian refinery to landlocked markets, including Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To prevent administrative delays, President Nandi-Ndaitwah placed the project under the direct coordination of the Office of the President and requested that employment priority be given to Namibians and other Africans. The initiative is part of a broader strategy by Dangote Industries Limited to invest up to $60 billion across Africa by 2030. George Elombi, President of the African Export-Import Bank, indicated the institution's readiness to provide financial backing for the venture.
