achieve in the drive for regional industrialisation.
“What I have seen today gives me a lot of hope, and everybody who doesn’t believe in Africa should come here. Visiting here will give you more hope because this is exactly what our continent should focus on.
“We have seen something I couldn’t have imagined, and really, the capacity in all areas is impressive. We congratulate Alhaji Dangote for this trust in Africa because I think you do this only when you have the trust, and he has a vision for Africa, and this is what we should all work to encourage,” Touray was quoted.
The ECOWAS leader had noted that the refinery, which produces fuel to Euro V standard, is critical for enabling the ECOWAS region to meet its 50ppm sulphur limit for petroleum products – a standard he said many imported fuels fail to meet, posing health and environmental risks across member states.
“We are still importing products below our standard when a regional company such as Dangote can meet and exceed these requirements. The private sector must take the lead in ECOWAS industrialisation,” he advised.
The ECOWAS Commission President used the visit to call for stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector, stressing that policy decisions must reflect the real challenges and opportunities experienced by African industrialists.
“We believe our visit also serves as an opportunity to hear directly from Mr Dangote, about what the private sector expects from the ECOWAS community,” Touray explained, noting that as ECOWAS celebrates its 50th anniversary, the community is more committed than ever to bringing the private sector to the table, to listen to their perspectives, and to understand how best to create an environment that works for them
We cannot continue to make decisions on behalf of the private sector from a distance. Visits like this provide us with first-hand experience and direct insight into the challenges they face—challenges that authorities and government officials must work to address,” he added.
Touray said the time was ripe for the region to pursue an industrial strategy capable of addressing deep-rooted challenges such as youth unemployment, poverty, and insecurity.
He pledged the commission’s full support for enabling regional giants such as the Dangote Group to access wider ECOWAS markets and urged other African nations to follow Nigeria’s example by building infrastructure that serves the continent, not just individual countries.
“Once again, I congratulate the Dangote Group and commit that the ECOWAS commission will do everything to open up the ECOWAS market for them, if not the entire African continent,” he declared.
The delegation included ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sediko Douka; Commissioner of Internal Services, Prof. Nazifi Darma; Director of Private Sector/SME, Dr Tony Elumelu; and Dr Touray’s Chief of Staff, Abdou Kolley, among others.