Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is famed for being a foremost industrialist. Apart from his intimidating profile as the country’s biggest employer of labour, he has successfully reinvented and redefined various productive ventures.

He is the owner of several mega factories including sugar refineries, cement plants, mega fertiliser plant, petrochemical and petroleum refinery, with footprints across Africa.

Unrelenting in his quest, Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which has an installed capacity of 3.0 million metric tonnes of Urea per annum, was unveiled during the week.

President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the project in the presence of dignitaries including Dangote, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, Minister of Trade and Investment Niyi Adebayo, among others.

The plant situated at the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State – 500 hectares of land in Lekki Free Trade Zone, is the largest in Africa and the second-largest urea plant globally.

Understanding the critical role fertilizer plays in the food supply chain, many observers opined that Nigeria could be on its way to attaining self-sufficiency in its production and supply.

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According to Dangote Industries Limited, the project was built at the cost of $2.5 billion.

The plant’s capacity would also be expanded to produce multi-grades of fertiliser to meet soil, crop, and climate-specific requirements for the African continent.

Buhari at the commissioning said the plant will further advance Nigeria’s drive towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production, create jobs, increase the inflow of foreign exchange and accelerate economic growth.

Commenting on the successful inaugural launch of the plant, Dangote said: “It is an ambitious project that will reduce unemployment in Nigeria.”

“The plant will boost productivity and enhance output across the nation as products from plants have reached the African market, and across Brazil, India, and Mexico.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stole the show at the commissioning with his powerful speech. He described the plant as a major milestone, saying that: “The audacity of the project is amazing.”

Undoubtedly, the plant would create more opportunities in the areas of job creation, and further address the issue of unemployment in the country.