I Was Dead If My Refinery Didn’t Work Out – Dangote

Billionaire, Aliko Dangote has opened up on the risk he took while establishing his $23 billion Dangote Refinery project.

Speaking in an interview with Forbes on Monday, Dangote described the Refinery project as the “biggest risk” of his life.

“It was the biggest risk of my life. If this didn’t work, I was dead,” he said.

Despite the refinery’s groundbreaking capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and its status as Africa’s largest, Dangote revealed that the journey to completion was fraught with uncertainties.

Dangote also spoke about the hurdles he faced in financing the project, the regulatory challenges, and securing suppliers.

“We have to build our own nation by ourselves. We have to build our own continent by ourselves, not [rely on] foreign investment,” he said.

He added that Africa has been “a mere dumping ground for finished products,” and his refinery represents “a pivotal step in ensuring that Africa has the capacity to refine its own crude oil, thereby creating wealth and prosperity for its vast population.”

According to the Forbes report, despite establishing a family office in Dubai and involving his three daughters in various roles within the family business, his focus remains firmly on Nigeria.

He continues to dedicate much of his time to the refinery, regularly meeting with engineers and managers to oversee progress.