Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is set to commission the multi-billion dollar Dangote oil refinery in two weeks’ time, according to a spokesperson for the presidency.
The plant will start production after construction started in 2016.
Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria, views the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery, which is being built by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote’s Dangote Group, as a way to end its reliance on imports for almost all of its refined petroleum products.
The refinery is located near Lagos and Buhari will commission it on May 22, just a week before he is due to leave office after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution, said spokesperson Bashir Ahmad.
While a spokesperson for Dangote confirmed the timing of the commissioning, they did not provide further details.
The refinery’s costs grew to $19 billion from initial estimates of between $12 billion and $14 billion, after several years of delays.
