HARARE
–
Nigerian
billionaire
Aliko
Dangote
is
expected
in
Zimbabwe
in
mid-November
after
approving
a
package
of
investments
in
cement,
coal
and
power
generation
worth
about
US$1
billion,
the
government
said
on
Monday.
A
delegation
from
local
financial
services
firm
Bard
Santner,
which
will
structure
the
deals,
was
in
Nigeria
on
Monday
laying
the
groundwork
for
the
visit.
Paul
Tungwarara,
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
investment
adviser,
told
journalists
that
preparations
were
underway
for
meetings
between
Mnangagwa
and
the
petroleum
tycoon.
“The
richest
man
in
Africa
is
coming
to
Zimbabwe
at
the
invitation
of
President
Mnangagwa,”
Tungwarara
said.
“The
two
have
been
in
constant
communication
and
we
are
presently
working
on
the
logistical
aspects
of
the
visit.
“We
are
keen
to
ensure
that
he
makes
a
significant
investment
in
Zimbabwe
and
avoid
what
happened
during
his
previous
visit
in
2015,
when
he
came
but
did
not
return.”
Dangote’s
2015
visit
ended
inconclusively
amid
reports
that
a
cabinet
minister
solicited
a
bribe,
angering
the
businessman.
Journalist
and
business
adviser
Josephine
Mahachi
is
believed
to
have
played
a
key
role
in
facilitating
Dangote’s
renewed
interest
in
Zimbabwe.
The
68-year-old
industrialist,
worth
an
estimated
US$30
billion
according
to
Forbes,
built
the
650,000-barrel-per-day
Dangote
Refinery
in
Lekki,
Nigeria
—
a
US$20
billion
project
inaugurated
in
May
2023.
His
flagship
company,
Dangote
Cement
Plc,
is
a
Nigerian
publicly
listed
multinational
with
a
production
capacity
of
52
million
tonnes
per
year
across
10
African
countries.
In
July,
Dangote
announced
plans
to
construct
fuel
storage
tanks
in
Namibia
with
capacity
for
1.6
million
barrels
of
petrol
and
diesel
to
supply
refined
fuel
to
southern
Africa
—
part
of
a
broader
regional
expansion
drive.