*Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, affirms the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has the capacity to meet petroleum the needs of fuel consumers across the ECOWAS sub-region

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Towering over the Ibeju-Lekki Free Zone on the edge of the Atlantic, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is more than just a feat of engineering.

The oil-refining facility has become a symbol of ambition, vision, and industrial self-reliance for an entire African continent.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the region鈥檚 highest political and economic bloc, also affirmed this promise during a recent visit to the refinery in Lagos.

Dangote Group, in a statement, said H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, while speaking during a high-level visit to the state-of-the-art 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) facility Thursday, May 29, 2025, declared that the refinery is a beacon of hope for Africa鈥檚 future.

Dr. Touray described the refinery as a clear demonstration of what the private sector could achieve in the drive for regional industrialisation.

The Group also disclosed the delegation included ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sediko Douka; Commissioner of Internal Services, Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma; Director of Private Sector/SME, Dr Tony Luka Elumelu; and Dr Touray鈥檚 Chief of Staff, Hon Abdou Kolley, among others.

Moved by the scale and sophistication of the facility, Dr. Touray was quoted to have remarked: 鈥淲hat 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.”

The President of the ECOWAS Commission further stated: 鈥淲e have seen something I couldn’t have imagined, and really the capacity in all areas is impressive.

“We congratulate Alhaji Dangote on this trust in Africa because I think you do this only when you have the trust, and he has a vision for Africa, and this is what we should all work to encourage.鈥�

Dr. Touray noted that the refinery, which produces fuel to Euro V standard, is critical for enabling the ECOWAS region to meet its 50ppm sulphur limit for petroleum products鈥攁 standard many imported fuels fail to meet, posing health and environmental risks across member states.

He said: 鈥淲e are still importing products below our standard when a regional company such as Dangote can meet and exceed these requirements.

鈥淭he private sector must take the lead in ECOWAS industrialisation.鈥�

Touray as well used the visit to call for stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector.

He stressed that policy decisions must reflect the real challenges and opportunities experienced by African industrialists.

“We believe our visit also serves as an opportunity to hear directly from Mr Dangote, about what the private sector expects from the ECOWAS community,” the President of the ECOWAS Parliament noted.

He equally stated that as ECOWAS celebrates its 50th anniversary, the community is more committed than ever to bringing the private sector to the table鈥攖o listen to their perspectives and to understand how best to create an environment that works for them.

He noted: “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鈥攃hallenges that authorities and government officials must work to address.”

Dr. Touray said the time is ripe for the region to pursue an industrial strategy capable of addressing deep-rooted challenges such as youth unemployment, poverty, and insecurity.

He also said: 鈥淲e often speak about poverty eradication and youth employment, but the government alone may not have the capacity to achieve these goals.

“Only the private sector can deliver the scale of impact required, and it is essential that we listen to them, understand how these objectives can be met, and identify the bottlenecks they face so that they can be effectively addressed.

“This is the only realistic path to creating jobs and fostering genuine prosperity across our economies.鈥�

The President of ECOWAS Commission pledged the Commission鈥檚 full support for enabling regional giants, such as Dangote Group, to access wider ECOWAS markets and urged other African nations to follow Nigeria鈥檚 example by building infrastructure that serves the continent, not just individual countries.

He added: 鈥淥nce again, I congratulate the Dangote Group and commit that ECOWAS Commission will do everything to open up the ECOWAS market for them, if not the entire African continent.鈥�

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, led the ECOWAS delegation on a detailed tour of the facility.

The statement noted Dangote explained the challenges and milestones involved in bringing the world鈥檚 largest single-train refinery to life.

The President/CE of Dangote Group reiterated his longstanding position that Africa鈥檚 continued dependence on imported goods is unsustainable and hinders economic sovereignty.

He also stated: 鈥淎s long as we continue importing what we can produce, we will remain underdeveloped.

鈥淭his refinery is proof that we can build for ourselves at scale, to global standards.鈥�

According to him, the Dangote Refinery is fully equipped to meet the petroleum needs of Nigeria and the entire West African region, countering claims that the facility would not produce enough for local and regional demand.

Said he: 鈥淭here have been many claims suggesting that we don鈥檛 even produce enough to meet Nigeria鈥檚 needs.

鈥淪o how could we possibly supply other West African countries?

“But now, they are here to see the reality for themselves and, more importantly, to encourage other nations to embark on similarly large-scale industrial projects.”

Dangote asserted that聽 Africa would benefit greatly by encouraging trade among its countries, especially through value addition to the continent鈥檚 abundant resources.

The foremost industrialist emphasised how the refinery has helped Nigeria to reduce the costs of refined products, as well as production costs across several sectors of the country’s economy.

He further recalled: “Last year, when we began diesel production, we were able to reduce the price from N1,700 to N1,100 at a go, and as of today, the price has crashed further. “This reduction has made a significant impact across various sectors.

“It has supported industries, benefited those of us in mining, and provided vital relief to the agricultural sector. The effect has been far-reaching.”

Dangote noted that Nigerian energy consumers are benefiting from local refining, as the price of petrol has dropped significantly compared to neighbouring countries.

He averred: 鈥淚n neighbouring countries, the average price of petrol is around $1 per litre, which is N1,600.

“But here at our refinery, we鈥檙e selling at between N815 and N820.

“Many Nigerians don鈥檛 realise that they are currently paying just 55% of what others in the region are paying for petrol.”

The President/CE of Dangote Group said: “We also have a much larger initiative in the pipeline, something we鈥檝e not yet announced but Nigerians should know that this refinery is built for them, and they will enjoy the maximum benefit from it.”

He emphasised that this price reduction is a direct result of local refining, which continues to improve fuel affordability while enhancing energy security and reducing dependence on imports.

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