NEW YORK — Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido and billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote have brought a major Nigerian business story to the heart of Manhattan, appearing together in New York’s Times Square as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery promotes its landmark initial public offering.
The pair were photographed beneath a towering Nasdaq digital billboard carrying the message “Made in Nigeria. Built for the World.” Their Times Square appearance on September 22 quickly attracted attention online, combining two powerful symbols of modern Nigeria: the country’s global cultural influence through Afrobeats and its growing industrial ambitions.
From Lagos to Times Square
The Times Square campaign is tied to the public offering of shares in Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, which officially opened on September 14, 2026.
According to the company’s official IPO information, 4.1 billion ordinary shares are being offered at ₦525 per share, with a minimum subscription of just 10 shares, or ₦5,250. The offer is scheduled to close on October 13, 2026.
If fully subscribed, the offer would raise approximately ₦2.15 trillion. Reuters reported at the launch that the transaction represents about a 3% stake in the refinery and could raise as much as roughly $2.1 billion, making it Africa’s largest IPO.
Before Davido joined Dangote there, the refinery had already placed its “Made in Nigeria. Built for the World” campaign on the landmark New York digital screens, putting a Nigerian industrial project before an international audience.
Davido Puts the Question to Dangote
In an exchange circulated on social media, the singer asked Dangote why Nigerians should consider owning shares in the refinery.
Dangote responded that expanding public ownership was intended to spread prosperity and wealth more broadly across Africa. He also indicated that the refinery would not necessarily be the last Dangote business opened to wider ownership, pointing to the group’s fertilizer operations as another potential candidate.
Ahead of the public offer, Dangote Industries also announced a $1 billion underwriting programme, consisting of a funded $600 million private placement and a further $400 million underwriting commitment supporting the planned IPO.
And towering above them in Manhattan was the campaign’s simple declaration:
“Made in Nigeria. Built for the World.”
