Dangote unveils N2.15trn IPO, says offer to democratise wealth creation

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Ltd., says the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (FZE) will democratise wealth creation.

Dangote said this at the “Facts Behind the Offer” presentation and opening gong ceremony for the refinery’s IPO on Monday in Lagos.

The ceremony witnessed the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. formally opening the N2.15tn IPO of FZE.

The IPO comprises 4.1 billion new ordinary shares offered at N525 per share, with a minimum subscription of 10 shares valued at N5,250.

The offer is scheduled to close on Oct.13, subject to the terms contained in the prospectus.

He described the offer as a historic moment for Nigeria’s capital market, the Dangote Group and Africa, saying it would enable ordinary Nigerians and investors globally to own shares in one of Africa’s major industrial projects.

“What initially belongs to a country, begins in a deeper sense, now belongs to the people. Today is such a moment; today is a historic day,” he said.

According to him, the IPO is not simply about listing a company but about creating a new possibility for Nigeria and Africa by broadening ownership of a major industrial asset.

He said the decision to offer shares to the public was driven by the desire to allow more people to participate in and benefit from the prosperity created by the refinery.

“An asset of this magnitude should not create value for only a very few people.

“It should create value for millions of people, not only Nigerians, but all over the world,” Dangote said.

He said the IPO was not primarily about raising funds, as the group already had enough resources for its expansion.

Dangote said the group had planned to raise 2.5 billion dollars through private placement and the IPO, comprising 1.5 billion dollars from the IPO and one billion dollars from private placement.

He said the private placement attracted significant demand, resulting in applications of about 2.5 billion dollars for the one billion offer.

According to him, the strong demand made it necessary to return about 1.2 billion dollars to investors after allocations were made.

“We already met all our demands with the private placement. Coming back now to the IPO is actually about making sure that the public can get part of these benefits,” he said.

Dangote said the broad-based ownership would provide investors with an opportunity to preserve and grow their wealth through exposure to a business whose revenues are largely dollar-linked.

He said this could particularly benefit Nigerians with financial obligations abroad, including payment of school fees, as investors would receive dividends in dollars.

He urged Nigerians and Africans to seize the opportunity, saying the refinery could become Africa’s largest company by end of the year.

“You are buying a future. It is a company that is not only about revenue, but profitability,” he said.

Dangote described the refinery as a world-class industrial asset and the largest refinery in Africa, built to international standards and equipped with modern technology.

He said the facility was supplying Nigeria’s domestic market while also serving other African and international markets.

According to him, the refinery has become a major supplier of aviation fuel to Europe, noting that its jet fuel production had been sold out for August and September.

Dangote said the group was also expanding its petrochemical operations, including plans to produce polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene.

He said the expansion would create additional opportunities for investors and contribute to the development of industries that depend on petrochemical products.

The business mogul said the group was also exploring opportunities outside Nigeria, including plans to establish a refinery in Lamu, Kenya.

He said the group’s expansion was part of efforts to position African businesses to attract large-scale global investment.

“Africa is like a scratch card. Unless you scratch it, you don’t see the use of it. The opportunities are immense,” Dangote said.

He called on Nigerians and Africans to seize the opportunity, saying the refinery could be Africa’s largest company by the end of 2026.

“What we are trying to do is to open up the market and make sure that when we open up the market, Africans and non-Africans will join us to have what you call the new Africa rising,” he said.

Dangote added that crude oil could yield thousands of products, emphasising the importance of building refining and petrochemical capacity in Africa.

He said the growing number of aircraft being ordered by airlines globally would continue to create demand for aviation fuel, particularly as new refineries were not being developed at the same pace.

He described the Dangote Refinery IPO as an opportunity for investors to participate in the growth of an industrial business with significant expansion prospects.

The Dangote Refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone, has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and is one of the largest single-train refineries in the world.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Access Holdings, said, “With this particular, sterling, historic offer and what I have seen in the data room, where already billions of Naira have been subscribed by thousands of investors within minutes or under an hour, you are a blessing to humanity.”

Also speaking, Dr Umar Kwairanga, Chairman of NGX Group, said that the IPO of FZE demonstrated the capacity of Nigeria’s capital market to support businesses at a global scale.

Kwairanga said the offer of 4.1 billion ordinary shares at N525 per share to raise about N2.15 trillion was significant in scale and importance.

According to him, the transaction is an opportunity to demonstrate the capacity of the capital market to support enterprise and provide investors with confidence in the integrity, transparency and efficiency of the market.

He described Dangote Petroleum Refinery as one of the most significant industrial investment projects on the continent and a demonstration of what Nigerian enterprise could conceive, finance and execute.

He said deeper and more effective capital markets were required to connect African savings with African enterprises and finance businesses capable of competing globally.

“Transactions of this scale strengthen our proposition and demonstrate what our markets can achieve when capital, enterprise and ambition come together,” he said.

The NGX chairman said the development of Africa required Africans to actively participate in businesses and investments on the continent.

“Dangote has built Africa. Now, we are going to exercise our rights and be part and parcel of this huge investment as part owners of Dangote Refinery after this offer,” he said.

Kwairanga commended Alhaji Dangote and the board and management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery for taking the company to the capital market.

He said the NGX had the capacity and resources to support more large-scale transactions and attract significant businesses to the capital market.

Meanwhile, Mr David Bird, Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, outlined the refinery’s operations.