Written by Dangote Rice Limited, a subsidiary of Dangote group has committed to purchasing 1 million metric tons of paddy rice from Niger State over 10 years.
This was made under a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the state government, as construction of its 32-metric-ton-per-hour rice mill in Wushishi continues on schedule.
The details emerged Tuesday ahead of the 22nd Niger National Trade Fair, opening on May 14 in Minna, where Dangote Industries Limited is the major sponsor.
Mrs. Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, Regional Director and Senior Adviser to the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, confirmed that the Wushishi mill, being developed on a 30-hectare site, is progressing steadily and remains on track for completion.
The MoU locks both parties into defined obligations. Dangote Rice Limited provides the guaranteed market: 1 million metric tons of paddy rice to boost food sufficiency.
Niger State provides the supply base: 25,000 hectares of commercial rice farms and 50,000 direct jobs created within the partnership’s timeframe.
Mr. Sammy Adigun, Chairman of Niger Foods, stated those state-side obligations clearly, framing the partnership as a commercially structured arrangement rather than a goodwill gesture.
The mill’s processing capacity, at 32 metric tons per hour, is significant. That output is comparable in scale to the Imota rice mill in Lagos, considered Africa’s largest.
Alongside the mill, Dangote is constructing 32 silos near Wushishi, each with a storage capacity of 2,500 metric tons of paddy rice, addressing the storage gap that currently forces northern farmers to sell at harvest prices rather than holding produce for better market conditions.
The investment lands at a moment when Nigeria’s rice import bill remains a structural drag on the economy. Nigeria is projected to import 3 million tons of milled rice in 2024 and 2025, making up 37 per cent of its total consumption needs.
Domestic paddy production has been growing. Niger State, Nigeria’s top rice-growing region, increased its paddy harvest by 84,000 tons between 2020 and 2024, reaching 707,000 tons. But without processing infrastructure at scale, that production advantage has limited downstream value.
Mrs. Wali-Abdurrahman said the mill, once operational, will enhance local rice production, create employment opportunities, and contribute to agricultural development nationally.
She was speaking at events marking the Trade Fair, whose theme this year is “Public Private Partnership as the Panacea for Nigeria Economic Growth and Stability.”
Dangote Cement, Dangote Salt (NASCON), Dangote Sugar Refinery, and Dangote Fertiliser Limited are all participating business units at the fair.
Mr. Adamu Salihu, Director-General of the Niger Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NCCIMA), said the fair was expected to attract no fewer than 300 exhibitors.
He described Dangote’s sustained investment presence in the state as one of the key reasons the chamber continues to organise the annual event.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), May 12, 2026. Ecofin Agency, May 2025. Dangote Group statement.
