Aliko Dangote, the richest person in Africa, has announced that Nigeria will stop importing petrol by June 2023.
Gatekeepers News reports that Dangote, while speaking at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, revealed that his refinery will commence production of petrol by June, making imports unnecessary.
“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline, and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of liter,” Dangote said.
The refinery will not only address the shortfall in petrol supply in Nigeria but also in other West African countries.
“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa. We have enough diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa,” Dangote added.
The refinery will also produce aviation fuel, meeting the continent’s demands and exporting to Brazil and Mexico. Additionally, the refinery will produce polypropylene and polyethylene, meeting Africa’s entire demand, as well as base oil, linear benzyl, and other raw materials.
Dangote aims to make Africa self-sufficient in fertilizer production within three to four years.
“We will make Africa self-sufficient in potash, phosphate… For our urea, we are at three million tonnes and in the next twenty months, we will be at six million tonnes of urea, which is the entire capacity of Egypt,” he said.
The refinery has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, one million tonnes of polypropylene, 590,000 carbon black, and will start its second phase early next year.
