Dangote Fertiliser plant will foster UN development goals, says envoy 

Onome Amuge

Dangote Fertiliser plant has been identified as a crucial project that would facilitate the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the realisation of the Africa Union Agenda 2063 which are geared towards the promotion of food production and poverty alleviation across the African continent.

Affirming the belief that the Dangote Fertiliser is going to assist food production in Africa, A.K Zanna, Charge D’Affaires, Embassy of Nigeria in Senegal, explained that Africa will require increased food production in order to feed its growing population and food production cannot be without the application of fertilisers, making Dangote Fertiliser Plant a necessity for the promotion of the Africa Union Agenda 2063 in terms of increased food production.

Dangote Fertiliser plant located in the Lekki Free Zone area of Lagos State, has been classified as the biggest project in the entire fertiliser industry and is expected to manufacture three million metric tonnes of urea per annum, with a view to reducing Nigeria’s fertiliser imports, and generating $400m annual foreign exchange from export to Africa countries. The plant has also been described as a  driver which would assist in attaining the United Nations development goals aimed at addressing global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

The envoy also stressed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has reached an advanced stage of construction in Lagos, Nigeria, The envoy also stressed that the establishment of the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Oil Refinery in Lagos, would help bridge the supply gap of petrol in Africa. He pointed out that there are refineries in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Gabon which refine products but the capacity is not sufficient for the growing demand for fuel in the sub-region.

According to him, the completion of Dangote Oil Refinery is going to eliminate the challenge of exporting crude oil to Europe and America and bringing refined products to Africa.

“Dangote Refinery is going to be a source of blessing to the whole of African countries, most especially, West Africa, due to member countries’ proximity to the Refinery in Nigeria. By the time the refinery comes on stream, I don’t think any country will like to go to Europe to import fuel when you can get the locally refined products in Africa. The refinery is definitely going to be a game changer and will address the challenge of fuel supply gap in Africa,” he added.