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Aliko Dangote describes his $23 billion Dangote Refinery project as the "biggest risk" of his life, highlighting challenges like financing, regulations, and securing suppliers. The refinery, Africa's largest, aims to transform Africa's oil refining capacity, creating wealth and reducing dependency on foreign products. Dangote plans to go public soon.

Billionaire Aliko Dangote has revealed that his $23 billion Dangote Refinery project was the "biggest risk" of his life, acknowledging that if it failed, his career and reputation would have been destroyed. In an interview with Forbes on February 17, 2025, Dangote reflected on the monumental challenges he faced throughout the venture, including financing, regulatory hurdles, and securing suppliers. Despite its groundbreaking capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, Dangote expressed the pressure that came with overseeing such an ambitious project.

The refinery, Africa's largest, marks a pivotal moment for the continent's industrialization. Dangote stressed the need for Africa to become self-reliant and no longer depend on foreign investment. He emphasized that Africa has long been a "dumping ground" for finished products and that his refinery aims to address this by refining Africa's crude oil and fostering economic growth. While Dangote has diversified his interests by establishing a family office in Dubai and involving his daughters in the business, he remains dedicated to his projects in Nigeria. He is also focused on expanding the refinery's fertilizer plant and a subsea pipeline to transport natural gas from the Niger Delta to Lagos. Looking ahead, Dangote plans to take the refinery public in the next couple of years. “I’ve been fighting battles all my life and I have not lost one yet,” he declared.