FG Officials Tour Dangote Refinery, Reaffirm Private Sector’s Role in Nigeria’s $1 Trillion Economy Drive
By Patience Bitrus, Lagos
The Federal Government on earlier today, reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships with the private sector after a high-powered delegation from the Federal Ministry of Industry toured the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, describing the facility as a strategic national asset capable of accelerating Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic transformation.
Leading the delegation, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, said the visit was aimed at giving government officials firsthand insight into one of Africa’s largest industrial investments and deepening collaboration with indigenous manufacturers driving the country’s industrial agenda.
The delegation toured the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the petrochemicals complex and Dangote Fertiliser Limited at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
The visit also included Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, senior officials of the ministry, regulators and executives of Dangote Industries Limited.
Speaking after the tour, Enoh described the integrated industrial complex as a clear demonstration of Nigeria’s manufacturing potential and a major contributor to President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
“You cannot be Minister in charge of Industry and not visit the Dangote Refinery,” the minister said, adding that seeing the facilities firsthand offered a deeper appreciation of the scale, sophistication and strategic importance of the investment.
According to him, the refinery represents the kind of value-added industrial development needed to reposition Nigeria as a globally competitive manufacturing economy.
He noted that beyond reducing the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products, the refinery has strengthened Nigeria’s export capacity and demonstrated that local investors can successfully execute projects of global significance.
“The more a country adds value to its products, the more respect it earns globally. The Dangote Refinery stands today as one of the strongest demonstrations of that principle,” Enoh said.
The minister disclosed that officials accompanying him left the facility with a greater understanding of its operations and renewed determination to support industries capable of driving economic growth, employment and technological advancement.
He also said concerns surrounding the refinery’s single-train configuration had become clearer following the visit, noting that production continued during scheduled maintenance activities.
Enoh pledged continued engagement between the ministry and Dangote Industries through the Industrial Revolution Work Group and ministerial roundtables to address challenges confronting manufacturers, particularly access to affordable long-term financing.
He described collaboration between government and the private sector as essential to implementing Nigeria’s Industrial Policy, which seeks to increase manufacturing’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product to 20 per cent by 2030 and 25 per cent by 2035.
For Dangote Industries, the visit provided another opportunity to reinforce the case for industrialisation as the foundation of sustainable economic development.
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, told the delegation that countries do not achieve prosperity without building strong manufacturing sectors.
“There is no way to create jobs and prosperity without industrialisation,” he said.
Dangote argued that successful indigenous businesses remain the strongest attraction for foreign investment because they demonstrate confidence in the local economy.
He disclosed that the company recently raised an unsecured bond at rates below Nigeria’s sovereign benchmark, describing the development as evidence of growing investor confidence in credible Nigerian private-sector institutions.
The industrialist also stressed that policy consistency is critical to attracting investment, warning that frequent policy reversals discourage investors more than the absence of incentives.
Reflecting on the refinery project, Dangote described it as the biggest investment risk of his career, recalling the scepticism that surrounded the project during its construction.
Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign exchange volatility and financing constraints, he said the refinery’s successful completion proves that Nigerian entrepreneurs can deliver world-class infrastructure.
He added that at full capacity, the refinery would account for the equivalent of about 10 per cent of the United States’ refining capacity and process approximately 2.5 per cent of globally traded crude oil.
The visit underscored the Federal Government’s growing emphasis on engaging indigenous industrialists as key partners in economic development and highlighted the strategic role the Dangote industrial complex is expected to play in expanding local manufacturing, creating jobs, boosting exports and supporting Nigeria’s long-term economic ambitions.