President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, describing the project a game changer in Nigeria’s bid to achieve self-sufficiency in refined products and even have surplus for export.
Speaking at the occasion attended by Heads of State from Ghana, Togo, Niger, Senegal and a representative of the President of Chad, the President described the feat as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s economy and the entire African region.
The President subsequently stressed the need for African countries to come together, eliminate trade barriers, and rally their populations for the continent’s prosperity.
‘‘When I travel around Africa and meet and engage my brother Heads of State (and I am delighted some of their Excellences are here) I often sense a quiet expectation that our country is blessed with resources and human capacity to lead Africa’s rise to economic prosperity and the attainment of Agenda 2063 – ‘The Africa we all want.’
‘‘But to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, Africa must come together – we must integrate our economies, eliminate barriers to trade and energize our youthful population to scale up our productive capacity.
Buhari acknowledged the visionary investments made by the Dangote Group in transforming Nigeria’s economy through involvement in critical industries such as cement and fertilizer.
‘‘The consequence of these challenges constitute a severe strain on our economy, limiting Government’s ability to provide basic infrastructure without resorting to huge borrowings.
‘‘Our Government, therefore, took the decision to focus attention on creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and fill the enormous gap in investments not only in infrastructure but also in all critical sectors.
‘‘We recognize that without the active participation of the private sector and a strong commitment to public private partnership, our economy would continue to remain severely challenged and our economic growth impeded.
‘‘Government therefore, will and should continue to provide an enabling environment and encourage innovative public private partnerships in all sectors of our economy,’’ he said.
The president’s position was advanced by his counterparts from Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and Senegal, Macky Sall who were at the event.
