Lagos: Africa’s richest man and industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has expressed commitment to empowering Nigerian engineers and building local capacity through large-scale industrial projects. Dangote gave the assurance while receiving a delegation from the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. He said that the scale of the refinery was more than initial expectations.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dangote mentioned that if the full magnitude and challenges of the refinery project had been understood initially, the endeavor might not have been attempted. He attributed the project’s progress to courage and a degree of naivety. The refinery is designed to handle massive volumes, with up to 600 product vessels and about 240 crude oil tankers expected annually.
Dangote highlighted the challenges faced during construction, such as working on swampy terrain and extensive land clearing, including dredging 65 million cubic metres of sand from 20 kilometres offshore, all in an effort to protect local fishing communities. The project involved manually uprooting thousands of trees and took 18 months for sand-filling.
In response to an engineer’s query about opportunities for Nigerian professionals, Dangote emphasized the importance of skill development. He noted that even in the absence of sufficient jobs, training remains crucial as skills are valuable assets. The project, initially planned for up to 50,000 foreign workers, eventually employed only 12,000-14,000 expatriates, with the majority of the workforce being Nigerians.
Dangote praised the contributions of Nigerian fitters, welders, and engineers, stating that 85% of the commissioning work was done by Nigerians. He encouraged NSE members to align with the national vision of self-sufficiency and industrial excellence.
Mrs. Olukorede Kesha, Chairman of the NSE Lagos Branch, described the refinery as an engineering breakthrough for Africa. She commended Dangote’s initiative and highlighted the high level of Nigerian involvement in the project. Kesha suggested that such industrial developments could help address domestic challenges and position Nigeria as an exporter of products and professional expertise.
The News Agency of Nigeria also reported that the NSE delegates toured the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as ‘an enormous national asset.’
