Nigeria boosts industrial self‑reliance with precision‑manufacturing centre and Dangote refinery

Nigeria is accelerating its drive toward industrial self‑reliance. The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) showcased its new Centre of Excellence for Precision Manufacturing to the Director‑General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu. The facility is intended to produce high‑precision components for aerospace, automotive, defence, energy and healthcare, reducing reliance on imports, conserving foreign exchange, and creating skilled jobs.

At the same time, the privately funded Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, with a capacity of up to 700,000 barrels per day, is operating at full throttle, exporting refined products to West Africa and Europe while domestic state refineries remain idle. The refinery sources about 78 % of its crude from Nigeria’s own producers and the remainder from abroad, reshaping fuel trade patterns and highlighting a shift from imported refined products to indigenous processing and export.

Together, the precision‑manufacturing centre and the operational mega‑refinery illustrate a broader strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s manufacturing base, cut import dependence, and generate high‑value employment.