The ECOWAS Commission has promised to provide the necessary support to African richest man, Mr Aliko Dangote, to sell its products across the region.
This pledge was made by the president of the commission, Mr Omar Alieu Touray, during a visit to the Lagos-based Dangote Petroleum Refinery a few days ago.
He said the refinery, which produces fuel to Euro V standard, is critical for enabling the ECOWAS region to meet its 50ppm sulphur limit for petroleum products—a standard many imported fuels fail to meet, posing health and environmental risks across member states.
Nr Touray described the 650,000 barrels-per-day facility as a beacon of hope for Africa’s future, and a clear demonstration of what the private sector can achieve in the drive for regional industrialisation.
“What I have seen today gives me a lot of hope, and everybody who doesn’t believe in Africa should come here. Visiting here will give you more hope because this is exactly what our continent should focus on.
“We have seen something I couldn’t have imagined, and really the capacity in all areas is impressive. We congratulate Alhaji Dangote for this trust in Africa because I think you do this only when you have the trust, and he has a vision for Africa, and this is what we should all work to encourage.
“We are still importing products below our standard when a regional company such as Dangote can meet and exceed these requirements. The private sector must take the lead in ECOWAS industrialisation,” Mr Touray stated.
He pledged the commission’s full support for enabling regional giants such as Dangote Group to access wider ECOWAS markets, urging other African nations to follow Nigeria’s example by building infrastructure that serves the continent, not just individual countries.
“Once again, I congratulate the Dangote Group and commit that ECOWAS Commission will do everything to open up the ECOWAS market for them, if not the entire African continent,” he declared.
In his remarks, Mr Dangote thanked the commission for the support, noting that the refinery is fully equipped to meet the petroleum needs of Nigeria and the entire West African region, countering claims that the facility would not produce enough for local and regional demand.
“As long as we continue importing what we can produce, we will remain underdeveloped. This refinery is proof that we can build for ourselves at scale, to global standards.
“There have been many claims suggesting that we don’t even produce enough to meet Nigeria’s needs, so how could we possibly supply other West African countries? But now, they are here to see the reality for themselves and, more importantly, to encourage other nations to embark on similarly large-scale industrial projects,” he said.