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Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, Ethiopia and Djibouti have announced plans to develop a $660 million refined petroleum products pipeline linking the two East African countries.
A spokesperson in the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed disclosed this on Thursday.
The project will include a 120-kilometre pipeline and storage facilities with a combined capacity of about 1.175 million cubic metres in Ethiopia and Djibouti.
The spokesperson said the pipeline is expected to become operational within 18 months.
Abiy said on X that the project would be developed through a partnership between Ethiopian Investment Holdings and Dangote Group.
The pipeline will run between Damerjog in Djibouti and Dewele in Ethiopia.
Credit: AFP
About 375,000 cubic metres of storage capacity will be provided at Damerjog, while Dewele will have storage capacity of about 800,000 cubic metres.
According to Abiy, the project aims to reduce logistics costs and delays along the Ethiopia-Djibouti transport corridor.
The developers said the infrastructure would also strengthen energy security and improve supply chain resilience in both countries.
Abiy announced the project during a visit to Djibouti, where he was accompanied by Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Dangote.
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Dangote Group is already involved in several projects in Ethiopia, including a $4 billion fertiliser pipeline and power plant, as well as a polypropylene packaging facility.
Meanwhile, Dangote and the Kenyan Government are expected to break ground next week for a new 700,000-barrel-per-day crude oil refinery in Lamu.
The proposed refinery is another expansion of Dangote’s energy interests in East Africa.
