Zimbabwean business executive and MTN Group Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, has been appointed to the board of Dangote Fertiliser Ltd, a key subsidiary of Dangote Industries, as the company accelerates its expansion drive and prepares for a public listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Dangote Fertiliser Managing Director, Vishwajit Sinha, confirmed Mupita’s appointment in an email response to Bloomberg, describing it as a significant addition to the board at a time when the company is entering a new phase of growth.
The high-profile appointment into Aliko Dangote’s industrial empire comes as Dangote Fertiliser readies for an initial public offering (IPO) this year. Mupita oversaw the successful listing of MTN’s Nigerian unit in 2019, a business whose revenue has since more than quadrupled. With a market capitalisation of US$8.6 billion, the telecoms giant is now the second-biggest entity on the Nigerian bourse after BUA Foods Ltd.
Africa remains the world’s fastest-growing population hub, with rising food demand, rapid urbanisation and increased regional trade expected to push the continent’s agricultural sector beyond US$1 trillion by 2030, according to the African Development Bank. This growth trajectory presents vast opportunities for fertiliser producers, although many farmers still face challenges such as limited access to finance, inadequate infrastructure and restricted market access.
Dangote Fertiliser currently produces around 3 million tonnes of granulated urea annually and has previously indicated ambitions to become the world’s largest producer by 2028. Achieving that goal will require the expansion of its US$2.5 billion complex in Lagos, alongside plans to begin constructing a new facility in Ethiopia later this year.
Mupita has led Africa’s largest wireless carrier for over five years, having joined MTN Group in 2017 as chief financial officer. He previously held senior roles at South Africa’s Old Mutual Ltd and first trained as an engineer.
Dangote Industries also intends to list its refinery business this year, with the planned IPOs expected to unlock capital and widen shareholding to institutional investors.
