President Bola Tinubu yesterday evening hosted Africa’s richest man and chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following recent updates on the ongoing expansion of the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery.
Dangote arrived at the State House before 7:00 p.m. and spent approximately 30 minutes in a closed-door meeting with the President. The visit comes just weeks after Tinubu toured the Lekki-based Dangote Refinery in Lagos and described it as a transformative project for Nigeria and the African continent.
The high-level engagement is seen as part of ongoing collaboration between the federal government and key private sector actors to accelerate industrial development and reposition Nigeria’s energy sector. The Dangote Refinery – initially designed to process 650,000 barrels per day – is currently undergoing an expansion to increase its refining capacity to 700,000 barrels per day. Upon completion, it will rank as the sixth-largest refinery in the world.
In recent public remarks, Dangote warned that Africa may not witness another refinery of similar magnitude if governments across the continent fail to address rent-seeking practices and regulatory inefficiencies plaguing the oil and gas sector.
“Africa is capable of building world-class infrastructure, but we must eliminate the systemic barriers that discourage long-term investment,” Dangote stated during a recent industry event.
