Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has reflected on the challenges of building his giant oil refinery in Nigeria, saying the experience gave him a new appreciation of the difficulties involved in establishing a refinery.
Mr Dangote said he had previously joked that anyone he considered an enemy should be made to “go and start building a refinery”, because of the enormous challenges involved in such a project.
“I never knew what I was getting into,” Dangote said. “I even said that if I have anyone but prayer for my enemy, it is to pray for my enemy to go and start building a refinery.”
He said, however, that the experience had changed his outlook and that the “fear has actually gone”.
The Dangote Refinery, located in the Lekki area of Lagos, has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and is one of the largest single-train refineries in the world.
Dangote also announced plans to significantly expand Nigeria’s refining capacity, saying the country’s total capacity could eventually reach about 1.4 million barrels per day.
He linked the expansion to wider plans for refining and energy development across Africa, while noting that Kenya’s refinery plans form part of its Vision 2030 development programme.
The comments come as Nigeria continues efforts to increase domestic crude refining and reduce its reliance on imported petroleum products.
