LBS Global CEO Africa executives tour Dangote Refinery in Lagos. Dangote urges African investors to retain capital, praises vision, resilience behind project

Executives from the Lagos Business School’s Global CEO Africa Programme have visited the \$20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos as part of a learning tour on transformative leadership and industrial development in Africa.

Also read: Dangote Refinery uses local crude In historic shift from foreign oil reliance

Led by LBS Dean, Prof Yinka David-West, and Academic Director Patrick Akinwuntan, the CEOs were received at the refinery by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group.

Prof David-West described the refinery as a symbol of African excellence. “This facility represents the power of private sector investment and the strength of African vision. We’re here to learn, be inspired, and say thank you for showing us what Africa can do for itself,” she said.

She praised Dangote for being a trailblazer in industrial development and for encouraging Africans to believe in their own capabilities. “Nobody will build Africa for us. We must support one another. We are one Africa.”

Speaking to the visiting CEOs, Dangote recounted the challenges faced in building the world’s largest single-train refinery, admitting that he may not have begun the project had he known the scale of the difficulties involved.

“People think building a refinery is like building a house. If I had known how hard it would be, I probably wouldn’t have started. But we pushed through. It shows that nothing is impossible,” Dangote stated.

He noted that fuel import dependence across Africa – except in Algeria and Libya – made the project vital. “Africa needs energy security. We can’t keep relying on imports,” he said.

Dangote criticised external interests that continue to undermine African industries via massive imports, especially through nearby ports like Lome.

“Only one refinery is currently operating in South Africa. They’ve shut down most of them through unfair competition,” he added.

Akinwuntan, Academic Director of the programme, lauded Dangote’s vision. “Vision is deeper than sight. This refinery proves that dreaming big and solving problems courageously can transform a continent.”

He said the Global CEO Africa Programme is aimed at developing the leadership DNA needed to transform Africa.

“We brought 24 CEOs from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, spanning banking, tech, construction, and the public sector, to see what bold execution looks like.”

Also read: Dangote Refinery uses local crude In historic shift from foreign oil reliance

He added, “This visit shows what African-led excellence and courage can deliver. That’s what our programme is about—building Pan-African leaders to scale across borders.”