Dangote Projects amasses nearly 7,000 machines, claims world’s largest construction fleet

Dangote Projects Ltd, the construction arm of Dangote Industries Limited, has become the world's largest construction company by equipment holdings, boasting nearly 7,000 machines. Group Vice President Edwin Devakumar disclosed this during a briefing, just as Kenyan President William Ruto visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos.

The company began with 2,563 pieces of construction equipment, including 320 cranes, for the refinery project, subsequently amassing over 4,000 additional pieces as the group expanded its refinery and fertilizer projects. Devakumar explained that the extensive equipment collection was necessary due to the lack of adequate construction capacity in the Nigerian market to execute the scale of the refinery project.

Initial attempts to engage leading Nigerian construction firms for the project were met with capacity rejections. Acquiring their own equipment enabled Dangote to build the required construction capacity, produce its own concrete, and develop supporting facilities such as accommodation for a workforce of up to 50,000 people during peak times, and 63,000 workers at its peak.

The project's scale and undeveloped nature of the refinery site, which was over 70% swampland, required significant infrastructure investment, including the construction of facilities for 50,000 people and the use of swamp buggies to clear the land. Dangote is planning a major refining project in Kenya, set to begin construction on September 30, 2026, with the planned refinery capable of producing 1,000 MW of power, supplying more than half to the Kenyan government.

The group's revenue for the first half of 2026 reached approximately $17 billion, with an ambitious target of $36 billion for the full year, up from $18 billion in 2025.