By Mary Izuaka

 

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has announced that the expansion of the Dangote Refinery to a production capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) will generate employment for no fewer than 95,000 skilled workers at peak construction.

Mr Dangote disclosed this on Saturday in Lagos during his induction as an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), describing the project as a major milestone in Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

According to him, the expansion underscores the Group’s continued commitment to engineering excellence, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.

“This award is particularly meaningful because it recognises what we are doing in the industry, especially our commitment to employing engineers and skilled professionals. At the peak of construction for this expansion, we expect to have about 95,000 skilled workers on site, and we will continue to grow,” Mr Dangote said.

In October last year, Mr Dangote announced plans to scale up its refinery capacity to 1.4 million bpd from the current 650,000 bpd

The move, according to him, will take the crude oil processing facility, Africa’s largest refinery and the world’s biggest single-train refinery, the largest in the world, past India’s Jamnagar Refinery, whose capacity stands at 1.2 million bpd.

On Saturday, Mr Dangote noted that the project would rely heavily on Nigerian expertise, creating substantial opportunities for engineers, technicians, artisans, and other skilled professionals.

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He added that the expansion reflects the Group’s long-term vision for industrialisation in Nigeria and across Africa.

Beyond employment generation, he said the refinery expansion is expected to stimulate local manufacturing, enhance technology transfer, and deepen Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.

It will also improve fuel security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, and deliver significant foreign exchange savings for the Nigerian economy.

“The scale of this expansion reflects our confidence in Nigerian capacity and our belief that Africa has the ability to build world-class infrastructure that meets global standards,” he added.