We’re On Schedule To Finish Our $9bn Refinery in 2020 Says Dangote

African billionaire Alhaji Aliko Dangote said he is on schedule to finish his $9 billion oil refinery, which will be one of the world’s biggest, by next year.

The businessman stated this on Sunday while hosting the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who was on an inspection visit to the Dangote Refinery in Lagos.

According to Dangote, the construction of the largest single train refinery in the world, that would be producing  650,000 barrels of crude oil per day and expected to help Nigeria save over $7.5 billion through import substitution, would commence operations in April 2020.

He noted that it would reduce the importation of petroleum products  and save the country from capital flight.

“The refinery is going to save a huge amount of foreign exchange out- flow because, today, forex is being used in the importation of petroleum products and our foreign reserves are being heavily depleted. And whatever little forex we are earning from the sale of crude oil, is being used to import petroleum products. Our petroleum refinery is going to have a major beneficial impact on the economy in terms of foreign exchange savings,” he said.

Dangote added: “We will be adding value to our economy as all these projects are currently creating about 26,000 employment opportunities and when completed, it would create about 80,000 employment opportunities.

“We will also save over 7.5 billion dollars for Nigeria annually through import substitution. We will generate an additional $5.5 billion  per annum through exports of the refined petroleum products, fertiliser and petro-chemicals,” he said.

The Dangote Group boss added that the refinery would also put the country on the global map as a major oil and gas hub in Africa.

He said that the refinery, therefore, would help the government create a robust domestic refining sector.

He also said that  the company had been championing a comprehensive overhaul of the energy sector in Nigeria, with a view to making it a self-reliant nation.

He attributed Dangote Group’s decision to invest massively in the refinery sector to its strong desire to help transform the industry into a veritable driver of national economic growth and industrialisation.

In his remark during the tour of the facility located within the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, the CBN Governor reiterated the Apex Bank’s readiness to facilitate access to foreign exchange by Nigerian companies that wanted to import equipment to ease business growth in the country.

Emefiele said that the projects on completion would also be expected to produce  883 KPTA polypropylene plant, three million tons per annum Urea plant and 1,100 kilometres sub-sea pipeline infrastructure.

He said it would transform the Nigerian economy from a net-importer of refined petroleum products to a  net- exporter of petroleum products.

The  governor said that the support to indigenous companies by the CBN was to ease the importation of equipment needed into Nigeria for production.

According to him, “I am extremely delighted on the huge investment and massive progress recorded here in Dangote Petrochemical and Fertilizer Refinery. This shows commitment and readiness for business. I have said it before that we will also support any Nigerian  companies that take interest in construction and manufacturing of goods in Nigeria.

“CBN will provide funding in terms of foreign exchange and naira to import equipment that will fast track business activities. Dangote Group’s $9 billion investment is a reality of an indigenous company’s commitment that is interested in the socio-economic growth of Nigeria. This has made us to support Dangote Group with N75 billion in Forex to import equipment and other facilities to ease completion of the refinery,” he said.

The CBN boss added that, “This is the kind of investment we need in Nigeria that will empower Nigerians  and boost our revenue. I am happy that this project by Dangote Group came up in my life time. The Federal Government will continue to support the project and any other projects in the country. The ongoing nine-billion-dollar-refinery investment will enjoy our support, no doubt. We are doing this to fast-track other importation of equipment you will need for a speedy completion of that project and to encourage other Nigerians to follow your lead,” Emefiele said.

According to him, the tour is necessary to lend our support to this laudable project that will transform Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.

Emefiele said that the CBN would continue to support tremendous and impactful projects that would improve the socio-economic profile of the country through such investments.

He said the diversification of the Dangote Group was worthy of emulation by other industrialists.

“By the time this refinery is completed, it will not only service the needs of our domestic economy but shore up our international oil investments. Projects like this and our support will encourage more Nigerians to begin to think like the Dangote Group,” he added

Emefiele commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his resilience and dedication to create wealth.

“It may interest you to know that we always expend one third of our total foreign exchange obligation to import petroleum products. When the fertilizer plant will  commence operation between  April and May this year and the Refinery commences operation in April 2020, we will have a lot of savings from foreign exchange. In near future, we may be buying foreign exchange from the Dangote Group,” he said.

Emefiele urged other private refinery licensees to develop capacity to build more refineries.

“I have not seen any licensee approach the bank for credit to build refinery. Remember, such licensee will approach his bank which will in turn assess his capacity to build such refinery and such request will be forwarded to the  CBN for approval. If they have the capacity, we will support them through their banks,” Emefiele said.