The President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has reaffirmed his commitment to making the ongoing Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery a truly “People’s IPO,” assuring retail and small investors that they will receive priority allocation should the offer become oversubscribed

Mr Dangote said the offer was deliberately structured to broaden ownership of one of Africa’s most strategic industrial assets and give millions of Nigerians an opportunity to participate directly in the refinery’s growth and future value creation. The IPO is designed to deepen financial inclusion and democratise wealth creation by opening ownership to a wider segment of society. 

Mr Dangote said one of the offer’s core objectives is to build one of Africa’s largest shareholder communities, with a target of attracting at least 10 million investors from Nigeria and across the continent.

Speaking on the public offer, Aliko Dangote said, “This is more than a capital-raising exercise. It is a historic opportunity to deepen financial inclusion, democratise wealth creation and enable ordinary Nigerians to become co-owners of a world-class industrial enterprise. From the beginning, our vision has been to create a genuine people’s IPO that allows millions of Nigerians to share directly in the success of this refinery.”

Mr Dangote emphasised that while the company welcomes participation from all categories of investors, allocation decisions in the event of oversubscription would be guided by the principle of broad-based ownership.

“If the offer is oversubscribed, retail and small investors will receive priority consideration. We are determined to ensure that ordinary Nigerians are not crowded out by large subscriptions. Our objective is not merely to raise capital, but to create millions of shareholders who can participate in the growth and prosperity of the Dangote Refinery. We want as many people as possible to own a stake in this national asset,” he added.

According to Mr Dangote, prioritising retail investors is consistent with his long-held belief that economic development should go hand in hand with widespread citizen participation and ownership.

“We believe prosperity should be shared by the many, not concentrated in the hands of a few. This refinery was built to transform Nigeria’s energy landscape, and we want millions of Nigerians to be part owners of that transformation,” he said.

Mr Dangote further noted that the IPO represents a significant step towards building an ownership economy in which civil servants, artisans, traders, professionals, cooperative societies, pension contributors, young entrepreneurs and Nigerians in the diaspora can participate directly in one of Africa’s most important industrial enterprises. 

He added that the offer is designed to be simple, transparent, and technology-driven, with BVN-enabled subscription channels helping remove traditional barriers that have historically limited participation in the capital market. 

Expressing confidence in the success of the offer, Mr Dangote said the IPO would not only deepen Nigeria’s capital market but also stand as a landmark example of inclusive wealth creation.

“Our ambition is clear. We want to build a shareholder base of at least 10 million investors and create one of the most widely owned companies in Africa. That is the essence of the People’s IPO. It reflects our conviction that every Nigerian should have the opportunity to participate in the value being created by this world-class refinery,” he said.