Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has hailed the Dangote Refinery as a powerful demonstration that Africa can execute projects at massive scale, declaring that the future of the continent belongs to those bold enough to build rather than wait for perfect conditions.
Sanwo-Olu spoke during the Lagos-New York 2026 Learning Journey, hosted by the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, when he visited the Dangote Refinery in Lekki.
The Governor used the massive facility to draw attention to Lagos’ transformation, recalling that the land on which the refinery now stands was open water barely a decade ago.
He said the transformation of the Lekki corridor captured the spirit of Lagos—a city that, rather than waiting for ideal circumstances, creates the conditions required for growth.
“A decade ago, the ground beneath our feet was open water. Everything built here had to be imagined, funded and reclaimed from the sea. That is the essence of Lagos. We do not wait for perfect conditions, we build the ground first,” Sanwo-Olu said.
‘Africa Can Execute At Massive Scale’
The Governor described the Dangote Refinery, with a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, as a monumental statement of African ambition and execution.
According to him, the refinery is proof that projects of extraordinary scale can be conceived and delivered on African soil.
Sanwo-Olu commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for believing in Lagos at a time when making such an investment came with enormous financial and infrastructural challenges.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Forum of Young Global Leaders, The Africa Center and Afreximbank to the learning journey.
But beyond celebrating the refinery, Sanwo-Olu said the bigger challenge was creating an environment where future investors would not have to endure the same arduous journey faced by earlier pioneers.
He warned that relying on the extraordinary determination of individual entrepreneurs was not a sustainable development model.
“A system that relies on one man’s extraordinary willpower is not a business model. That is heroism and heroism is hard to repeat,” he said.
According to the Governor, the real measure of the refinery’s success would be whether the next investor seeking to build a major project in Lagos would encounter fewer obstacles and have a smoother path.
Lagos Building The Ground For The Next Investor
Sanwo-Olu said his administration’s investments in the Lekki corridor were deliberately designed to create an ecosystem capable of attracting and supporting the next generation of businesses and investors.
He listed the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lekki Free Zone, Blue Line rail project and the planned airport among the infrastructure projects aimed at transforming the corridor into a globally competitive economic hub.
He said the objective was clear: to ensure that future investors would not have to start from scratch.
“Everything my administration has put into the Lekki corridor—the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the Free Zone, the Blue Line rail, and the upcoming airport—is designed so the next investor does not have to build from scratch,” he said.
The Governor said Lagos was already confronting many of the pressures that would define Africa’s development trajectory throughout the 21st century.
With a population of more than 25 million people, he said the state was dealing daily with challenges around transportation, energy, infrastructure and a rapidly expanding young population.
“Every pressure Africa will face this century, Lagos is confronting this decade—our roads, our energy and a young population that will either drive our growth or define our risk,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He urged the Young Global Leaders travelling to New York for the next phase of the programme to look beyond discussions and translate conversations into concrete partnerships capable of accelerating Africa’s development.
“Africa is not waiting for permission to build. We have already started and now is the time to turn conversations into partnerships,” the Governor declared.
