csrreporters 
Dangote Industries Limited has appointed Ralph Mupita, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, to the Board of Dangote Fertiliser Limited, strengthening the company’s leadership as it prepares for major expansion and a proposed listing on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).
The appointment was confirmed by Vishwajit Sinha, Managing Director of Dangote Fertiliser, in response to enquiries from Bloomberg. Industry analysts view the move as a strategic step ahead of the company’s anticipated initial public offering (IPO), expected later this year.
Dangote Fertiliser currently produces approximately three million metric tonnes of granulated urea annually from its $2.5 billion state of the art production complex in Lagos. The company has outlined ambitious plans to scale capacity significantly, with a long-term goal of becoming the world’s largest fertiliser producer by 2028.
Mupita’s inclusion on the Board brings deep expertise in capital markets, corporate governance, and large-scale corporate transformation capabilities considered critical as Dangote Fertiliser transitions toward public ownership. He is widely recognised for leading the landmark listing of MTN Nigeria on the NGX in 2019, one of the most significant capital market transactions in Nigeria’s recent history.
Since the listing, MTN Nigeria’s revenues have more than quadrupled, and the company has grown into one of the exchange’s most valuable stocks. With an estimated market capitalisation of $8.6 billion, MTN Nigeria is currently the second-largest listed company on the NGX, behind BUA Foods.
Mupita has led MTN Group Africa’s largest telecommunications operator by subscriber base for over five years, having joined the company in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to MTN, he held senior leadership roles at Old Mutual, a major South African financial services group. He is also an engineer by training, a background that aligns with the industrial scale and technical sophistication of Dangote’s manufacturing operations.
As part of its growth strategy, Dangote Fertiliser has disclosed plans to expand its Lagos facility and commence construction of a new fertiliser plant in Ethiopia this year, reinforcing the group’s pan-African footprint and contribution to regional food security.
Beyond fertiliser, the Dangote Group is also preparing to list its refinery business, according to earlier statements by Group Chairman Aliko Dangote. These planned IPOs are expected to raise fresh capital, deepen transparency, and broaden ownership to include both domestic and international institutional investors.
Mupita’s appointment comes at a time of rising demand for agricultural inputs across Africa. The continent has the world’s fastest-growing population, and the African Development Bank estimates that Africa’s agricultural sector could exceed $1 trillion by 2030. Yet productivity remains constrained by low fertiliser usage, limited access to finance, and weak infrastructure challenges that large-scale producers like Dangote Fertiliser are positioned to help address.
By strengthening its governance framework and expanding production capacity, Dangote Fertiliser is reinforcing its role in supporting sustainable agriculture, boosting farmer productivity, and contributing to long-term food security across Africa.