Dangote Slams Nigeria’s Power Output: ‘We Alone Generate 1,500MW—Why Is the Nation Stuck at 5,000?’”

Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has decried Nigeria’s poor power generation output, stating that the country has no justification for producing just 4,500 to 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity despite its vast potential.

Speaking during a tour of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Dangote pointed out that his group of companies independently generates over 1,500 MW for internal consumption a figure he says starkly contrasts with the national grid’s total output.

“We as a company alone are producing, group-wide for our own consumption, over 1,500 megawatts. So, Nigeria should not be producing just three times what we are doing as a single group. Nigeria should be at about 50,000 to 60,000 megawatts,” Dangote said.

He described the success of the multi-billion-dollar refinery as evidence that large-scale industrial projects are achievable in Nigeria, including transformative ventures in the power sector.

“What we have done here just shows that there’s nothing impossible. All this can be replicated in our power sector. There’s no reason why Nigeria should be doing 5,000 MW,” he added.

Dangote argued that scaling up Nigeria’s power infrastructure to 30,000 MW was less daunting than building the Dangote Refinery, stressing that energy development should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the government.

“What we have actually done here is much more difficult than making Nigeria 25,000 or 30,000 megawatts of power, with transmission and distribution. But it’s not the work of government alone,” he said.

The billionaire businessman called on the Nigerian private sector, especially wealthy individuals, to invest in the power sector instead of channeling capital abroad.

“We, the private sector, Nigerians, most especially us, should stop taking our money abroad and invest the money here to make sure that we develop our own country and continent,” he said.

He linked capital flight to Nigeria’s slow economic progress and urged Nigerians to show faith in the country’s leadership and economy.

“We know our leaders; we have confidence in them. So, that money they’re taking out of the country, they should leave it here so that it can benefit everybody.”

Dangote also criticized the embezzlement of public funds and the hoarding of illicit wealth overseas, which he said has deprived the local economy of badly needed investments.

“There are lots of countries that have more corruption than we do, but they are growing. Our biggest problem and challenge is that people who have stolen money have taken the money abroad. So, the money has no use to them; it has no use to their family, and they are not investing here to grow the domestic economy.”

The Dangote Group’s success in independently powering its operations underscores the critical role the private sector can play in resolving Nigeria’s long-standing energy crisis, particularly as the country seeks to meet growing electricity demand amid economic reforms.