Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has announced that starting next month, Nigeria will no longer need to import gasoline. This statement was made during the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali.

“Within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop,” Dangote said, expressing confidence in the capabilities of the Dangote Refinery.

The refinery, which began operations in February, has the capacity to meet the petrol and diesel needs of West Africa and provide aviation fuel for the entire continent. Dangote emphasized the refinery’s potential, saying, “We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.”

Dangote highlighted the refinery’s progress and its role in making Africa self-sufficient in the energy sector. He mentioned, “Today, our polypropylene and our polyethylene will meet the entire demand of Africa. We are producing raw materials like engine oil and detergent components that are currently imported. This will make Africa self-sufficient.”

He also spoke about the future goals of the company, stating, “In three to four years, Africa will not import any more fertilizer. We are aiming to make Africa self-sufficient in potash, phosphate, and urea.”

Since its commissioning, the refinery has been producing jet fuel and diesel, with plans to start gasoline production by next month. Dangote explained the impact of this development: “By next month, we will be producing gasoline. Our capacity is too big for Nigeria alone; it will also supply West Africa, Central Africa, and South Africa.”

Dangote acknowledged the challenges faced in building the refinery, especially resistance from those benefiting from the existing import system. He said, “The pushback was very impactful because there are people used to making money trading without a refinery. But we were committed and we delivered, even though many did not believe we would.”

He also called for policy consistency to support African entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of investment in the continent’s future. “In oil, unless you keep investing, production will go down. There is no room for failure. We need policies that support ease of trading in Africa,” Dangote concluded.