Aliko Dangote eyes new business in Burundi    

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and president of the Dangote Group, is weighing fresh investments in Burundi, with a focus on solid minerals, power generation and agriculture, the company said. 

The plans followed a brief visit to Bujumbura, where Dangote held talks with President Evariste Ndayishimiye at the presidential palace. The meeting, according to a Dangote Group statement, explored areas where private capital could support Burundi’s development goals.

Dangote, Burundi map multi-sector investments

Dangote said both sides have set up technical teams to map priority sectors and turn discussions into bankable projects. One team will be drawn from the Burundian government, the other from the Dangote Group. 

“Our focus is investing in Africa,” Dangote said after the meeting. “Burundi is part of that vision.” 

He was accompanied by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, underscoring what Dangote described as a visit with both diplomatic and commercial aims. 

Dangote pointed to opportunities in mining, energy, agriculture, cement and infrastructure, saying the intent is to build partnerships that benefit both the host country and investors. 

Burundian officials said the talks covered infrastructure, logistics, industrial development and energy—sectors the government views as critical to lifting growth and creating jobs. The outreach fits into Burundi’s wider push to attract long-term private investment and deepen ties with major African industrial groups.

Dangote invests across continent

Dangote, whose net worth Bloomberg estimates at about $31.9 billion, runs operations in 17 countries spanning cement, sugar, salt, packaging, energy, ports, petrochemicals and fertilizer. He has spent more than four decades building the group from a small trading firm into one of Africa’s largest industrial players. 

The company has stepped up investments across the continent in recent years. These include a $2.5 billion fertilizer plant in Ethiopia’s Gode region, a joint venture with Ethiopian Investment Holdings that broke ground in October 2025 and is expected to add 3 million tons of annual capacity. 

In Zimbabwe, the group signed a $1 billion deal in late 2025 covering cement production, power generation and a petroleum pipeline. The agreement also includes a new fertilizer plant and a planned 2,000-kilometer pipeline from Namibia’s Walvis Bay port through Botswana to Bulawayo. 

Dangote said the Burundi talks are at an early stage, but added that the company is encouraged by the government’s openness and is keen to move quickly where projects make sense.