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Alhaji Aliko Dangote highlighted the immense challenges faced in completing his $23 billion refinery project, including fierce opposition from powerful industry players
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Dangote described the oil mafia as more dangerous than the drug trade, emphasizing the need for self-reliance in Africa’s industrialization efforts
Billionaire businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote has revealed the immense challenges he faced in ensuring the success of his $23 billion refinery project despite fierce opposition.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day facility, Africa’s largest, has encountered significant hurdles from government bodies and powerful oil industry players.
“I’ve been fighting battles all my life and I have not lost one yet,” Dangote stated, highlighting his resilience.
He described the oil mafia as more dangerous than the drug trade, emphasizing how deeply entrenched interests worked against him.
Speaking to Forbes, Dangote disclosed that completing the refinery was the biggest risk of his life. “If this didn’t work, I was dead,” he admitted.
He remained committed to industrialising Africa despite financing difficulties, regulatory challenges, and supplier setbacks. He stressed the importance of self-reliance, stating, “We have to build our own nation and continent by ourselves, not rely on foreign investment.”
Dangote criticized Africa’s long-standing dependence on imported refined products, calling his refinery a game-changer that will boost economic prosperity.
Despite establishing a family office in Dubai, Dangote remains focused on Nigeria and regularly oversees operations at the refinery.
He is also developing a subsea pipeline to transport natural gas from the Niger Delta to Lagos and expanding his refinery’s fertilizer production.
Looking ahead, he plans to take the refinery public within the next two years.
“I’ve been fighting battles all my life and I have not lost one yet,” he reiterated.
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