The commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals is predicted to result in significant fiscal savings of approximately N35tn for the Federal Government of Nigeria over the next five years. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, revealed this promising prospect during the inauguration ceremony of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical facility in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. The ceremony was attended by government officials from Nigeria and other African countries, including President Muhammadu Buhari.President Buhari, who officially inaugurated the refinery, emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships and hailed the refinery as a transformative milestone for the Nigerian economy. He acknowledged the leadership of Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of the Dangote Group, for his instrumental role in driving Nigeria’s economic growth through bold investments in crucial industries such as cement and fertilizer.Dangote, in his address, expressed confidence that the refinery would eliminate the influx of substandard petroleum products into Nigeria. He announced that the facility would begin supplying refined products to the Nigerian market starting from July of this year and aimed to export to 53 African countries that currently rely on imports.Governor Emefiele highlighted the substantial benefits of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals project, stating that it could potentially save the Nigerian government between N5tn and N7tn annually in fiscal expenditures over the next five years. He emphasized that this would alleviate the budgetary strain caused by fuel subsidies, which could amount to N4.4tn by the end of 2022. Emefiele further asserted that the project’s positive impact would extend beyond fiscal savings, generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs while also producing up to 12,000MW of electricity.Furthermore, the CBN governor underscored the potential foreign exchange savings resulting from the refinery. He estimated that Nigeria’s importation of petroleum products, fertilizers, and petrochemicals drained over $26bn in 2022 alone. With the refinery’s operations, he anticipated that Nigeria would achieve self-sufficiency in these sectors, leading to foreign exchange savings of approximately $40bn annually. Emefiele emphasized that such savings would strengthen the country’s foreign reserves, reduce pressure on the balance of payments, and enhance exchange rate stability.In addition to the economic benefits for Nigeria, African leaders present at the inauguration, including the presidents of Ghana, Niger Republic, Chad, Senegal, and Togo, recognized the refinery’s potential to revolutionize the energy sector and bring prosperity to the entire African continent.Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended President Buhari, President-Elect Bola Tinubu, and Aliko Dangote for their significant contributions to establishing Nigeria’s first privately-owned refinery. The completion of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals project marks a significant step toward achieving Nigeria’s economic transformation and reducing dependence on imported petroleum products.