From left: Trade Commissioner/ Managing Director, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Lagos, Takashi Oku; Group Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Knut Ulvmoen; Vice President, Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Ltd., Devakumar Edwin; Ambassador – Designate of Japan to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo; Director – Service, Yokogawa Nigeria Ltd., Olushola Olanlehin, during the visit of Japanese Business Community in Nigeria, to Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals and Fertiliser complexes in Lekki, on Friday.
The Managing Director, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Mr Takashi Oku, has commended the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex for showcasing Nigeria’s technological advancements on the global stage.
Oku was quoted in a statement issued yesterday (Monday, December 16, in Lagos, by Dangote Group, as making the commendation when a delegation from the Japanese Business Community in Nigeria, led by Japan’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, visited the facility Friday.
The Japanese delegation toured the facilities housing both the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as well as Dangote Fertilisers.
They commended the state-of-the-art technology on display, noting that it reinforced Nigeria’s role as the gateway to Africa.
The JETRO boss said while Nigeria remains the gateway to Africa, the Dangote Refinery stands out as a remarkable project that showcases Nigeria’s technological progress.
According to him, the facility which is the world’s largest single-train refinery, is a point of immense pride for Nigeria.
JETRO is Japan’s governmental organisation for trade and investment.
“We had heard about the excellence of the Dangote Refinery through the media but seeing it in person has left us truly amazed by its vastness and grandeur.
“It demonstrates that Nigeria’s population is not only growing but also advancing in technology. We are keen to collaborate with Nigerian companies, especially Dangote Refinery,” Oku said.
He said the refinery has bolstered Nigeria’s leading position in Africa, adding that the facility serves as an ideal introduction to the country for the global community.
The Managing Director, Itochu Nigeria Ltd., Masahiro Tsuno, also commended Dangote Group on the size and automation of its refinery, describing it as a miracle and one of the wonders of the world.
Tsuno said he had seen many standalone refineries across the globe, including in Vietnam and the Middle East but the Dangote’s built by one single investor is a global miracle.
Tsuno said that his company would seek collaboration with the refinery across various sectors, including polypropylene and other petroleum products.
Vice President of Oil and Gas, Dangote Industries Ltd., Devakumar Edwin, commended the ambassador-designate and his team.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Edwin as explaining that the facility was the vision of an investor and African industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, designed and built by Nigerians, and intended to serve the global market.
He said that it is a point of pride that a Nigerian company not only designed, but also built the world’s largest single-train refinery complex.Dangote Industries Ltd., a Nigerian company, acted as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for the refinery.
In the process, cutting-edge technologies from around the world were incorporated to ensure that the facility meets the highest standards.
Edwin assured the ambassador-designate and his delegation that the company is open to collaboration, always striving to maintain the best possible standards.
He said there is a lot of Japanese equipment inside both the refinery and the fertiliser plant, which present opportunities for collaboration.
“For instance, our cement plant laboratory is managed by robots, and we always embrace advanced technology. With Japan’s focus on technological innovation, there is ample scope for cooperation and for supplying various types of technology,” he said.
Edwin added that the Dangote Petrochemical project would boost investment in downstream industries, creating substantial value, generating employment, increasing tax revenues, reducing foreign exchange outflows, and contributing to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He confirmed that products from the refinery meet international standards and are already being exported globally to some countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Angola, and South Africa among others.
He said Dangote’s Diesel has gone all over the world while the jet fuel has been heavily exported to European markets.
“Our products are already making their mark internationally,” he said, adding that the Dangote Group aims to create a virtuous cycle of industrial development, job creation, and economic prosperity by leveraging Africa’s vast crude oil resources to produce refined products locally.
