Dangote Fertiliser Limited has appointed Ralph Mupita, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, to its board, signaling a strategic move ahead of the company’s planned initial public offering (IPO) on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) later this year.
The appointment was confirmed by Vishwajit Sinha, Managing Director of Dangote Fertiliser, in a response to Bloomberg enquiries. The company, which currently produces about 3 million metric tonnes of granulated urea annually from its $2.5 billion production complex in Lagos, has ambitious plans to become the world’s largest fertiliser producer by 2028.
Mupita’s experience in capital markets and corporate governance is expected to support Dangote Fertiliser as it opens its ownership structure to public investors. He is credited with leading the landmark listing of MTN Nigeria on NGX in 2019, one of the most significant capital market transactions in recent Nigerian history. Since the listing, MTN Nigeria’s revenue has more than quadrupled, and the company now ranks as the NGX’s second-largest listed stock, with a market capitalisation of approximately $8.6 billion, behind BUA Foods.
Mupita has been CEO of MTN Group for over five years, having joined the company in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer. His prior leadership roles at South Africa-based Old Mutual and his engineering background align with the industrial scale and technical complexity of Dangote Fertiliser’s operations.
The company plans to expand its Lagos facility and begin construction of a new fertiliser plant in Ethiopia this year, strengthening Dangote Group’s footprint across Africa. Beyond fertiliser, the group is also preparing to list its refinery business, aiming to raise fresh capital, deepen transparency, and broaden ownership among domestic and international investors.
The move comes amid rising demand for agricultural inputs across Africa, where low fertiliser usage, limited access to finance, and weak infrastructure constrain productivity. According to the African Development Bank, Africa’s agricultural sector could grow into a $1 trillion market by 2030, creating a significant opportunity for large-scale producers like Dangote Fertiliser.
