Five African presidents join Buhari to commission Dangote refinery today

President Muhammadu Buhari will commission Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals alongside counterparts from Ghana, Togo, Senegal, Niger, and Chad in a historic event that will positively transform Nigeria’s oil and gas sectoral landscape.

The Dangote Refinery, founded by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is set to open today, May 22.

The petroleum refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), will be built on 2,635 hectares of land in the Dangote Industries Free Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, and will employ over 100,000 people.

The start-up of the massive project is expected to signal Nigeria’s departure from the league of oil-rich nations that are heavy importers of petroleum products.

Apart from international dignitaries, Presidents of Togo, Gnassingbé Eyadéma; Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo; Senegal’s Macky Sall; Niger Republic’s Mohamed Bazoum; Chad’s Mahamat Déby; and a host of ambassadors are expected at the historic event. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who will not be physically present, will present his goodwill message virtually.

As of the time of writing, all 36 state governors and the majority of governors-elect, ministers, senators, and captains of industry in Nigeria and others from outside the country, global oil traders, top international bankers, and international multilateral agencies had indicated their willingness to attend the ceremony.
The event is expected to be attended by Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose administration as governor of Lagos in 2002 launched the Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, where the Refinery is located.

Meanwhile, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) stated that the Dangote Refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, could be the much-needed industrial renaissance for the country.

MAN congratulated Dangote Group’s president and management on the completion and planned commissioning of its Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, which was commissioned today.

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Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General of MAN, stated, “The refinery, which is situated on approximately 2,635 hectares of land, is the World’s Largest Single Train 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery with a 9000 KTPA Polypropylene Plant ever built.”

“It is heartening to note that the Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s demand for all refined products (Gasoline, 57 million litres per day; Diesel, 27 million litres per day; Kerosene, 11 million litres per day; and Aviation Jet, 9 million litres per day) while also having a surplus of each of these products for export.”

“As a result, the Dangote Refinery’s arrival promises to put an end to the nightmare of long lines at petrol stations and the disruption of social and economic activities that comes with it.”

When fully operational, the refinery is expected to generate $10 billion in revenue from the export of refined petroleum products and save Nigeria an estimated $10 billion in foreign exchange.

According to him, the refinery is equipped with cutting-edge technology and is designed to produce 100% Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes from Africa, the Middle East, and the United States.

“It has a self-sufficient marine facility with freight optimization capabilities.” With the world’s largest single order of 5 SPMs, diesel and gasoline products from the refinery will meet Euro V specifications. The refinery design meets World Bank, US EPA, European emission standards, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent standards.

“To mitigate the potential impact of an increase in mean sea level due to global warming, the company took appropriate measures by elevating the sea level by 1.5 meters using the world’s largest, seventh, and tenth largest dredgers.”

“Dangote Group is one of the few companies in the world that can directly execute a Petroleum Refinery and a Petrochemical Complex as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contractor.” Aside from three companies, no individual owner has completed the entire EPC Contract for a Petroleum Refinery,” he noted.

According to Ajayi-Kadir, the Refinery employs the most people of any private company in Nigeria, including 100,000 indirect jobs at retail outlets, 26,716 filling stations, and 129 depots.

He also stated that the 16,000 trucks for transportation will generate additional jobs, and that the company has trained over 400 artisans from host communities in Masonry, Carpentry, AC Electricians, Plumbing, Welders, Iron-benders, and Auto Mechanics.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s commissioning is significant because it is the first time a refinery of this size built by an individual has been commissioned.

Dangote’s petroleum refinery is expected to meet the needs of Nigerian consumers as well as those of neighboring countries, while also allowing for exports outside of the African continent. Because over 50 countries in the trade bloc rely on imported refined petroleum products, the refinery will help to promote the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to the Facts Sheet on Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the new Refinery will be able to meet 100% of Nigeria’s refined product requirements (Gasoline, 53 million litres per day; Diesel, 34 million litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day; and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day) while also having a surplus of each of these products for export.

“The refinery is designed to process 100% Nigerian crude while also having the flexibility to process other crudes.” It has self-sufficient marine facilities, the ability to optimize freight, and the world’s largest single order of 5 SPMs. The refinery’s diesel and gasoline products will meet Euro V specifications.

“The refinery design meets World Bank, US EPA, European emission standards, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent standards.” Cutting-edge technology. “Designed to process a wide range of crudes, including many African crudes, some Middle Eastern crudes, and US light tight oil,” according to the Facts sheet.

It also stated, “65 million cubic meters of sand dredged at a cost of approximately 300 million euros, using the world’s largest, second largest, and tenth largest dredgers to elevate the height by 1.5 meters, to insure against any potential impact of mean sea level rise due to global warming.” Over 1,209 units of various equipment were purchased to increase local capacity for site work.

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“332 cranes to increase capacity for equipment installation.” Constructed the world’s largest granite quarry to supply coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust, and break water material. (10 million tonnes of production capacity per year).

“Developed a port and built two quays with a load bearing capacity of 25 tonnes per square metre to bring Over Dimensional Cargoes directly to the site.” In addition, the company built two more quays in the port with the capacity to handle up to Panamax vessels to export fertilizer and petrochemicals, as well as two quays to handle liquid cargoes. The port will thus have six quays, including a Roll-on/Roll-off quay,” according to the sheet.