Many Nigerians feel given the high unemployment rate in the country, Dangote should have prioritized hiring local talent instead of looking abroad
Social media is abuzz with Nigerians expressing their frustration over reports that the Dangote refinery has hired 11,000 Indian workers. This news, reported by Punch Newspaper, has sparked debates about unemployment in Nigeria and the preference for foreign employees.
Africa.businessinsider.com highlights the concerns of many Nigerians who feel that, given the high unemployment rate in the country, Dangote should have prioritized hiring local talent instead of looking abroad.
However, according to the Punch Newspaper report, there is a rationale behind this decision. The Sub-Saharan African Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network recently shed light on the matter, explaining that the refinery chose to hire 11,000 trained employees from India because it believed that young people in Nigeria lacked the necessary skills for the job. The Network suggested that African countries should create a national skills qualification framework to foster labor mobility across the continent.
The company clarified that due to the scale and complexity of the project, specialized skilled workers from around the world were required. At the peak of construction in the Refinery complex, 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers were part of the skilled workforce
In response to the controversy, the management of Dangote Refinery revealed that more than 30,000 skilled Nigerians are working alongside expatriates to construct the Refinery Complex. The company clarified that due to the scale and complexity of the project, specialized skilled workers from around the world were required. At the peak of construction in the Refinery complex, 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers were part of the skilled workforce.
Anthony Chiejina, the Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer of Dangote Refinery, emphasized that Nigerian workers on the project demonstrated a high level of technical competence, and many hidden skills were discovered among them.
The Dangote refinery, valued at $20.5 billion and regarded as Africa’s largest, has a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. Its production goals aim to reach 250,000 barrels per day of gasoline and 100,000 barrels per day of gasoline and diesel. If successful, this output could contribute to fuel self-sufficiency and significantly reduce the $26 billion spent on petroleum imports in 2022.
The situation has sparked considerable discussion, with stakeholders debating the balance between employing foreign expertise and nurturing local talent in critical development projects like the Dangote refinery.
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