The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, has praised the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, calling it a transformative project capable of fulfilling the petroleum needs of Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region. During a visit with an ECOWAS delegation to the 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) facility in the Lekki Free Trade Zone (FTZ), Lagos, Touray hailed the refinery as a “beacon of hope for Africa’s future” and a clear example of the potential of the private sector to drive regional industrial development. Impressed by the scale and advanced technology of the refinery, the ECOWAS Commission President said: “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.
“We have seen something I couldn’t have imagined, and really the capacity in all areas is impressive. We congratulate Dangote for 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,”.
According to Touray, the refinery, which produces Euro V standard fuels, is vital to assisting the sub-region meet its 50ppm sulphur limit for petroleum products, a standard many imported fuels fall short of.
“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 added.
Praising the Dangote Group’s investment in industrial development, Touray highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector to drive regional growth. He mentioned that the delegation’s visit also allowed them to hear directly from Dangote about the private sector’s expectations from ECOWAS.
The ECOWAS President underscored the need for a comprehensive industrial strategy to tackle ongoing challenges like poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to supporting the Dangote Group’s market access throughout West Africa and beyond.
During a guided tour of the facility, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote reiterated that the refinery was designed with a pan-African vision and has the capacity to meet the sub-region’s refined product needs.
“There have been many claims suggesting that we don’t even produce enough to meet Nigeria’s needs, so 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 similar large-scale industrial projects,” Dangote said. He warned that continued dependence on imports was unsustainable for the continent.
“As long as we continue importing what we can produce, we will remain underdeveloped. This refinery is proof that we can build for ourselves at scale, to global standards,” Dangote remarked.
Highlighting the economic benefits of domestic refining, Dangote stressed the significant drop in diesel prices when the refinery started production last year.
