‘WE HAVE TO BUILD OUR NATION OURSELVES’ – DANGOTE
The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has disclosed the importance of working together to build the African continent rather than depending on foreign investments.
During an exclusive interview on Monday with Forbes, the business tycoon stated that Africa has been a ‘dumping site’ for finished products but his refinery paves the way for change.
“We have to build our nation by ourselves. We have to build our continent by ourselves, not [rely on] foreign investment,” he said.
Reminiscing the risks he undertook while building the oil refinery, Dangote reiterated that he would have been dead if the refinery didn’t work.
“It was the biggest risk of my life. If this didn’t work, I was dead,” Dangote said.
Despite being Africa’s largest refinery with the capacity to produce 650,000 barrels per day, Dangote admitted the struggles and uncertainties the project faced.
He placed further emphasis on the need for Nigeria and Africa to lessen dependence on foreign investments.
Dangote further dismissed claims of his falling out of favor with President Bola Tinubu following last year’s anti-graft raid on his office.
“We have an extremely, very good relationship. I’ve known him for a very long time,” he said.
