•Capable of Meeting Entire Region’s Fuel Needs, Says Aliko Dangote
Towering above the Atlantic coastline in the Lekki Free Zone, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has become more than a monument to industrial ambition, it is now a continental symbol of hope.
That was the verdict of the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, during a high-level visit to the 650,000 barrels-per-day facility.
Dr Touray, visibly awed by the refinery’s scale and sophistication, declared the $20 billion facility a model for African self-reliance, regional integration, and private-sector leadership in driving industrial transformation.
“What I have seen today gives me a lot of hope, and everybody who doesn't believe in Africa should come here.
“Visiting here will give you more hope because this is exactly what our continent should focus on,” he said.
Accompanied by top ECOWAS officials, including the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sediko Douka; Commissioner for Internal Services, Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma; Director of Private Sector/SME, Dr Tony Luka Elumelu; and Chief of Staff, Abdou Kolley, Dr Touray toured the facility alongside Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and the refinery’s visionary founder.
The ECOWAS Commission President noted that the refinery, which produces to Euro V fuel standards, is critical for helping West Africa meet its 50 parts-per-million sulphur cap for petroleum products, a standard that many imported fuels currently fail to meet.
This, according to him, has led to environmental degradation and serious public health risks across the region.
“We are still importing products below our standard when a regional company such as Dangote can meet and exceed these requirements. The private sector must take the lead in ECOWAS industrialisation,” he said.
Dr Touray used the opportunity to champion deeper engagement between regional governments and private sector leaders, calling for policies that reflect the realities and ambitions of African industrialists.
“We cannot continue to make decisions on behalf of the private sector from a distance.
“Visits like this provide us with first-hand experience and direct insight into the challenges they face, challenges that authorities and government officials must work to address,” he said.
He stressed that Africa cannot achieve broad-based economic development or solve issues such as youth unemployment and poverty without fully leveraging the potential of the private sector.
“Governments alone may not have the capacity to create the volume of jobs needed or eradicate poverty.
The private sector must lead this charge, and it is essential we listen to them, identify the bottlenecks they face, and clear the way,” Dr Touray stated.
He further pledged ECOWAS’ support in enabling industrial giants like the Dangote Group to access the full regional market and called on other African nations to emulate Nigeria’s example in building continent-focused infrastructure.
“Once again, I congratulate the Dangote Group and commit that the ECOWAS Commission will do everything to open up the ECOWAS market for them, if not the entire African continent,” he said.
Aliko Dangote, who led the ECOWAS delegation on a guided tour of the refinery, took the opportunity to reiterate his core belief that Africa’s dependence on imported goods undermines its development.
“As long as we continue importing what we can produce, we will remain underdeveloped,” he said, adding, “This refinery is proof that we can build for ourselves at scale, to global standards.”
Addressing doubts over the refinery’s output capacity, Dangote dismissed claims that the facility cannot meet regional demand.
“There have been suggestions that we don’t even produce enough for Nigeria, so how could we possibly supply West Africa?
“But now they are here to see the reality for themselves. This visit should also inspire others across the continent to embark on similar transformative projects,” he said.
Dangote asserted that the refinery can meet the petroleum needs of Nigeria and the entire ECOWAS region and that local refining is already reshaping fuel pricing and economic stability across sectors.
“Last year, when we began diesel production, we were able to reduce the price from N1,700 to N1,100 in one move.
“Today, prices have fallen even further,” he noted. “This has had a massive impact across multiple sectors — mining, agriculture, and transportation. The savings are cascading throughout the economy,” Dangote added.
According to Dangote, Nigerians are already enjoying cheaper fuel than most of their regional neighbours due to local refining.
“In neighbouring countries, petrol costs around $1 per litre — that’s N1,600. But at our refinery, we’re selling between N815 and N820 per litre.
“Many Nigerians don’t realise they’re paying only about 55% of what others in West Africa are paying,” he stated.
He hinted at bigger plans on the horizon, assuring that Nigerians will be the primary beneficiaries of the refinery’s output.
“There’s a much larger initiative in the pipeline that we’ve not yet announced. Nigerians should know this refinery is built for them — and they will enjoy maximum benefit from it,” the business mogul maintained.
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