Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, already famous for transforming Nigeria’s manufacturing landscape, is steering his empire in a new direction. After opening the continent’s largest oil refinery that gulped over $20 billion, he now plans to overhaul logistics by introducing electric trucks into his fleet.
Dangote had committed ₦720 billion to buy 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, and about 1,000 of them had arrived in Nigeria by late August, with more on the way. He has now confirmed that his corporation’s next move is to import electric trucks.
Speaking during the official commissioning of the CNG-powered trucks at the refinery this week, Dangote stated that the trucks will deliver refined fuel directly to filling stations nationwide, and crucially, at no extra cost to consumers, a core part of securing his refinery’s supply chain and protecting the massive investment he has made.
Electric trucks are the game-changer
Dangote also publicly flagged electric vehicles as part of the longer game, saying that changes in transport energy use are already happening and industries that don’t adapt “will become archaic.”
He underlined the point with an anecdote about an Uber driver using a Tesla: “It cost just €20 to fully charge the car’s battery, good for nearly 500 kilometres” — to stress how charging economics abroad can look very different from Nigeria’s reality.
The challenge and the opportunity
Nigeria’s infrastructure often lags behind its ambition. While Dangote pushes forward, critics note that charging stations, maintenance networks, and reliable power remain weak links. The costs of importing specialised parts, shipping delays, and global supply chain constraints also threaten timelines.
Yet, Dangote seems aware, noting that declining to modernise isn’t an option. As he said, “If not, you will become archaic.” That line captures the urgency, not just for his company, but for businesses across Africa facing global shifts in energy and sustainability.
“You cannot tell me to keep using these old trucks. And now if there is an accident, you want to come and say sorry, we have to safeguard our own investment,” Dangote said.
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What will make or break this plan?
Replacing trucks is the easier half of the job. The harder half is the infrastructure around those trucks. Analysts and critics point to several immediate friction points:
- Fueling & charging networks. If CNG is the short-term solution, adequate CNG filling stations and safe handling systems must be built or scaled fast. If electric trucks arrive later, a national charging network, plus reliable grid power, becomes essential. EVs still account for under 1% of vehicle sales in Africa, while globally they’re pushing double-digit shares, underscoring how nascent the continent’s charging ecosystem remains.
- Spare parts & maintenance. Modern trucks mean modern sensors, compressors, and engines. Without local repair networks and trained technicians, downtime will bite.
- Import costs & shipping delays. The vehicles are being shipped from abroad; any supply-chain hiccup raises costs and stalls operations.
- Power reliability. For electric trucks especially, grid instability makes large-scale EV deployment practically impossible without major public and private investment in power infrastructure.
The economic and strategic ripple effects
If the rollout works, the implications are immediate and layered. On the operational front, a modernised fleet reduces breakdowns and accidents, making refinery distribution more predictable. For consumers, Dangote’s stated aim to deliver fuel to stations without extra cost could blunt price volatility at the pump, assuming logistics run as planned.
The broader point is that Africa holds significant reserves of minerals needed for batteries, so private bets like this could catalyse a domestic EV and battery ecosystem if policy and financing follow.
