The management of Dangote Industries Limited said contracts worth $368m for the ongoing construction of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical has so far been awarded to 120 local contractors as part of its contribution to Nigeria content development initiative.
Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects, Devakumar Edwin, disclosed this during a tour of the project by members of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), on Monday, assured of several Nigerian content opportunities in the project.
The refinery, he stressed, would result in significant skills transfer and technology acquisition opportunities in the country, adding that the landmark integrated project, regarded as the largest industrial complex in the history of Africa, will take Nigeria to new heights through economic transformation.
The company, he continued, is already partnering with the Lagos State government and Siemens in promoting skills development in the local community for employment at the construction site.
“We have already trained and employed 250 artisans,” he stressed, noting the company’s plan to train 900 Nigerian engineers in India.
“The company has completed the overseas training of the first and Second batches of Nigerian engineers who are being acclimatized at the site. The third batch left for India classroom training for one month, on the job training for one year and working in real time with experts in the industry every day”, he added.
Furthermore, he said the company has so far employed 3580 Nigerian personnel on site, excluding “employment by the various contractors and subcontractors at the site.”
Edwin disclosed that the company, in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), kicked-off the training of 200 youths in its host communities, as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
He disclosed that the programme is meant to prepare the selected youth with vocational skills that will make them employable or self-employed.
According to the company, the youth are currently being trained in areas of plumbing, masonry, welding, iron bending, auto mechanics and electrical works because of the instant value addition to their lives and communities.
Speaking on the progress made so far on the refinery project, Edwin disclosed that the company has imported world’s largest Reactor Regenerator and well as a crude column, which is equivalent to a 30-storied building, weighing about 100 fully loaded trucks.
He said that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement of all liquid products, such as Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene & Aviation Jet and also would have a surplus of each of these products for export.
According to him, the refinery will ensure that the security of local supply of petroleum products is guaranteed as well as the availability of petrochemical feedstock (Poly-propylene & Polyethylene), which will be enough for the Nigerian market as well as the neighboring countries.
With a fast-growing population and poor infrastructure, he said the refinery would also reposition Nigeria as an attractive investment destination and a major industrial hub in Africa.
Edwin added that the company also possess strategically located marine infrastructure for crude receipts and product trade when the refinery is fully completed.
He noted that the 650,000 barrels per day refinery has been designed to process a variety of light and medium grades of crude and produce extremely clean fuels that meet Euro V specification.
Dangote Group, he further said, has invested in most advanced units to produce Euro V fuel due to help Nigeria meet the European Standard of gasoline, stressing that in addition to the refinery plant, the company is constructing the largest fertilizer Plant in West Africa. “Current consumption of Urea in Nigeria is 700,000 tonnes. There is very poor per hectare usage of fertilizer leading to very poor crop yield. By 2020, the Nigerian population, which is around 207 million, would lead to increased food consumption.
“Estimates point out that around five million tonnes of fertilizers are required per year in Nigeria in next five to seven years bifurcated into 3.5m tonnes of urea.
“Dangote Fertilizer Project is the largest Granulated Urea Fertilizer complex coming up in the entire fertilizer industry history in the World, with an investment of $2.0 Billion capacity of 3 Million tonnes per annum. The Dangote Fertilizer complex consists of Ammonia and Urea plants with associated facilities and infrastructure, to produce 3 MMTPA Urea,” he stated.
President/Chairman of council Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, (NIPR) Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo, commended the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote for his investment in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Also commenting, chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Lagos State Council, Dr. Qasim Akinreti, thanked the company for giving the union opportunity to embark on the tour of the refinery project.