(Ecofin Agency) - After building his mega refinery, Dangote is now looking to develop a seaport in Ogun State. The port could help streamline the supply chain for some of his cement plants and the nearby refinery.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is considering building the country’s largest seaport in the Olokola Free Trade Zone, located in Ogun State. According to local media reports, he made this announcement on Monday, March 17, during a visit to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“Thanks to your policies and a favourable business climate, we are returning to Olokola. Plans are underway to construct Nigeria’s largest port,” Dangote said.

Details of the project are still unclear, but Ogun State is known as Nigeria’s second-largest manufacturing hub after Lagos. Dangote’s cement facilities are already operating in the free trade zone, and his newly built refinery in Lekki, on the outskirts of Lagos, is just about 100 kilometers away.

Last year, Dangote Group announced plans to rely primarily on maritime transport for shipping petroleum products to and from its new 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery. The goal is to improve supply chain efficiency and distribution.

If the new port project moves forward, it could create competition for the Lekki Deep Sea Port, which was inaugurated in 2023 and is located nearby. However, it could also help ease pressure on Nigeria’s congested ports. The country’s two main ports, Apapa and Tin Can Island, have been struggling with capacity issues for years.

To address these challenges, the government announced a plan last year to invest over $1 billion in expanding port infrastructure.