Success has never come without risk for Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man. But even for someone who has built a business empire spanning cement, sugar and flour and others, his latest venture, the $23 billion Dangote Refinery, was unlike anything he had ever attempted.
In an exclusive interview with Forbes on Monday, Dangote opened up about the enormous gamble he took to bring the refinery to life.
“It was the biggest risk of my life. If this didn’t work, I was dead,” he admitted, a rare moment of vulnerability from a businessman known for his confidence and precision.
Located in Lagos, the Dangote Refinery boasts a groundbreaking capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it Africa’s largest oil refinery and one of the most ambitious industrial projects on the continent. But the journey to completion was far from smooth.
Despite these obstacles, Dangote never wavered. His vision extended far beyond profits. He wanted to prove that Africa could industrialize on its own terms.
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For decades, Africa has exported crude oil only to buy back refined petroleum at higher prices. Dangote was determined to change that.
“We have to build our own nation by ourselves. We have to build our own continent by ourselves, not [rely on] foreign investment,” he stated.
He lamented that Africa had been reduced to a “dumping ground for finished products” from foreign refineries. His refinery, he says, is a direct challenge to that status quo. A monumental step toward ensuring Africa refines its own crude, keeps wealth within the continent, and fuels long-term economic growth.
Even after the refinery’s launch, Dangote remains deeply involved in its day-to-day operations. Despite having a family office in Dubai and grooming his three daughters for leadership roles, his heart remains in Nigeria. He still meets regularly with engineers and managers, personally overseeing progress to ensure everything runs smoothly.
And he’s not stopping with the refinery. Dangote is also spearheading other ambitious projects, including a subsea pipeline to transport natural gas from the Niger Delta to Lagos and an expansion of his refinery’s fertilizer plant.
As for the future? He plans to take the refinery public within the next two years, opening it up to investors and further solidifying its role in Africa’s economic transformation.
But for now, he remains focused on the task at hand.
“I’ve been fighting battles all my life, and I have not lost one yet,” he said.
