African presidents applaud Dangote for ‘spectacular’ refinery

The Presidents of Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Togo and the Chad on Monday hailed the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote for the establishment of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Plant.

The leaders, who joined their Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari, at the inauguration of the 650,000 bpd refinery in the Lekki area of Lagos State, said the refinery which is one of the biggest in the world will make Africa better and stronger.

“This spectacular project, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex makes West Africa better and stronger. And I congratulate this distinguished patriotic son of Africa for the shear brilliance of this initiative,” said Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall, who also spoke on behalf of Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbe, said that the Dangote refinery project will improve access to electricity for Africans many of whom still have no electricity access.

“This great investment will inspire respect and admiration here in Nigeria, the most populous country on our continent. The Dangote Group is certainly helping to reduce the challenge of universal access to electricity and give opportunity to industrialise our continent,” Sall said.

President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum also corroborated what his colleagues said, thanking Dangote for the project.

Also speaking, President Buhari described the establishment of Dangote Petrochemical Refinery and Petrochemicals as a game-changer and milestone for Nigeria’s economy.

He said it would enable the country to achieve self-sufficiency in the refined products and a surplus for export.

“This clearly makes this event a notable milestone for our economy and a game changer for the downstream petroleum product market not only in Nigeria but the entire African continent,” he said.

The project is expected to produce Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), aviation jet fuel, and Dual-Purpose Kerosene (DPK), among other refined products.