In the past 500 years, the world has undergone transformative changes, but one thing that remains largely unchanged is the relationship between Europe and Africa. Europeans continue to view the African continent as a source of prosperity, often opposing any movement toward the economic liberation of Black people. For centuries, Africa has been relegated to the role of raw material supplier, while Europe and North America industrialize and profit from turning these resources into high-priced finished goods. This practice has fostered economic growth in the West, but it has also crippled Africa’s industrial potential, resulting in high unemployment, crime, and insecurity across the continent.
However, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has taken significant steps to break this cycle of exploitation. Displeased with Africa’s economic trajectory, Dangote established the world’s largest single-line refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. This monumental project not only meets local demand in Nigeria but also exports refined products to other African nations. More importantly, Dangote’s refinery signals a new chapter in Africa’s economic liberation.
Dangote’s refinery promises to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products, lessen the demand for U.S. dollars, and strengthen the local currency. Currently, only two African countries—Libya and Algeria—have the refining capacity to meet their local needs. Many others have been sabotaged, often through the financing of insecurity in resource-rich regions, to ensure that African resources remain available to foreign powers at black market prices.
Unsurprisingly, Dangote’s project has faced resistance. European refineries, fearing the loss of billions in revenue, have financed smear campaigns against him. These efforts have involved “brown envelope” journalists spreading false information about Dangote and his refinery. For decades, Western nations have supplied sub-standard petroleum products to African nations, causing damage to vehicles, public health, and the environment. Some countries have taken advantage of Africa’s weak fuel standards to produce and sell low-quality, harmful fuels. Moreover, the trade of stolen oil, or “blood oil,” continues to pose immense challenges to African governments, particularly in Nigeria. Oil theft in the Niger Delta alone is estimated to cost Nigeria between 30,000 and 300,000 barrels of oil per day, resulting in a loss of approximately $100 billion between 2003 and 2008. Undoubtedly, this estimation would be far more today.
Western economies have long benefited from Africa’s exploitation, stifling the continent’s ability to fight poverty and develop independently. But with the establishment of his refinery, Aliko Dangote has emerged as a liberator of African nations. His actions are inspiring other African leaders and entrepreneurs to reclaim their continent’s resources and control their own destiny. By causing an estimated $70 billion loss to European markets and potentially collapsing refineries in the West, Dangote’s project is forcing the global community to acknowledge Africa’s growing economic power.
The exploitation of Africa is not new. For over 500 years, Western powers have treated Black people as subhuman, with 27% of those taken into slavery coming from Nigeria alone. The blood and sweat of Africans laid the foundation for Western civilization, and our ancestors endured unspeakable horrors in the process. Today, the struggle continues, but economic freedom is finally within reach.
Political power without economic power is futile, and Dangote understands this better than most. His refinery marks a turning point in Africa’s fight for economic independence. Yet, this journey will not be without its challenges. Western powers are likely to resist Africa’s rise, as they have done in the past.
Now more than ever, it is crucial for African governments to rally around Dangote and provide him with the necessary security to safeguard this refinery. Africa’s future depends on the success of such initiatives, and Dangote’s refinery stands as a beacon of hope for a continent long oppressed but never defeated.
– Dr. Wole Durodolu
