Billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote has described his $23 billion Dangote Refinery as the “biggest risk” of his life, admitting the immense challenges he faced in making the project a reality.
In an exclusive interview with Forbes on Monday, Dangote revealed the high stakes involved in the venture. “It was the biggest risk of my life. If this didn’t work, I was dead,” he said.
The refinery, Africa’s largest, boasts a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. However, Dangote admitted that the road to completion was riddled with financing difficulties, regulatory hurdles, and supplier issues.
Despite these challenges, he remains committed to using the refinery as a model for industrialization in Africa.
“We have to build our own nation by ourselves. We have to build our own continent by ourselves, not [rely on] foreign investment,” Dangote asserted.
