Dangote Refinery: A Beacon of Africa’s Industrial Future – ECOWAS President Touray
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, has hailed the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a monumental symbol of ambition, vision, and industrial self-reliance for the entire African continent. Speaking during a high-level visit to the 650,000 barrels-per-day state-of-the-art facility in Lagos over the weekend, Dr. Touray described the refinery as a beacon of hope and a powerful example of what private sector leadership can achieve in regional industrialisation.
The ECOWAS delegation included top officials such as 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 Dr. Touray’s Chief of Staff, Abdou Kolley, among others.
“What I have witnessed today fills me with immense hope,” Dr. Touray stated. “Anyone who doubts Africa’s potential should come here. This refinery demonstrates exactly the type of visionary thinking and capacity we must focus on across the continent.”
Dr. Touray praised Aliko Dangote for his unwavering trust in Africa and his commitment to transforming the continent’s industrial landscape. He noted that the refinery, which produces fuel meeting the Euro V standard, plays a crucial role in helping ECOWAS achieve its 50 parts-per-million (ppm) sulphur limit—a benchmark many imported fuels fail to meet, thereby posing serious environmental and health risks.
“We continue to import substandard fuels despite the fact that a regional enterprise like Dangote can not only meet but exceed ECOWAS specifications,” Touray said. “It’s time for the private sector to take the lead in our region’s industrial revolution.”
He emphasized the importance of closer collaboration between African governments and private sector leaders, arguing that policies must be shaped by the real-world experiences of industrialists like Dangote.
“This visit is not just ceremonial—it’s strategic,” Touray remarked. “It provides us with a direct line to the private sector’s expectations from the ECOWAS community. As we mark ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary, our commitment is stronger than ever to actively engage the private sector, listen to their concerns, and shape policies that reflect their realities.”
He added that development goals like youth employment, poverty eradication, and regional security cannot be met by governments alone.
“Only the private sector has the capacity to generate impact at scale. We must understand their bottlenecks and create a conducive environment to unleash their full potential,” he said.
Dr. Touray pledged ECOWAS’s full support in helping regional champions like Dangote Group access wider markets across West Africa. He called on other African nations to follow Nigeria’s example in developing infrastructure that serves the collective interests of the continent.
In his response, President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, led the delegation on a comprehensive tour of the facility, explaining the challenges and milestones involved in creating the world’s largest single-train refinery.
Dangote reiterated his long-held view that Africa’s dependence on imports undermines its economic sovereignty. “As long as we import what we can produce, we will remain underdeveloped,” he said. “This refinery proves that we can build at scale, to world-class standards.”
He dismissed concerns that the refinery could not meet local or regional demand. “There have been doubts about our capacity to supply even Nigeria, let alone the rest of West Africa. But now our visitors can see the reality—and our goal is to inspire similar large-scale projects across the continent.”
Dangote also highlighted the refinery’s significant economic impact, especially in reducing fuel costs and boosting various sectors. “When we started producing diesel last year, the price dropped from N1,700 to N1,100 instantly. It’s gone down even further since then. This has positively affected industries, mining, and agriculture.”
He noted that Nigerians were enjoying some of the lowest fuel prices in the region due to local refining. “While neighbouring countries are paying around N1,600 per litre of petrol, we are supplying it locally at N815 to N820. That’s just 55% of what others are paying.”
Dangote also hinted at even more ambitious plans on the horizon. “We have bigger initiatives coming up, not yet announced, but Nigerians should know that this refinery was built for them—and they will reap the full benefits.”
The visit concluded with a renewed commitment from ECOWAS to strengthen ties with industrial leaders like Dangote and deepen efforts to industrialise the region through strategic public-private partnerships.
