![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Improved_Africa_Report-300x300.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nSameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
\n23 July 2024 | 23:49 p.m. SAST
\n2-minute read<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A vast new oil refinery in Nigeria, the Dangote Refinery, was established to end the country\u2019s dependence on imported petroleum products.<\/p>\n
The facility can produce up to 650\u00a0000 barrels per day (bpd) when operating at full capacity, making it Africa\u2019s largest oil refinery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe oil refinery capacity will meet Nigeria\u2019s domestic demand of 450\u00a0000 barrels per day, and the surplus will be exported. It will go a long way in saving Nigeria a lot of foreign currency that it uses to import petroleum products,\u201d Sizo Nkala said today on Radio Islam\u2019s Africa Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nkala, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, noted that Nigeria\u2019s expenditure on importing petroleum products is exorbitant, despite being Africa\u2019s biggest crude oil producer. This is largely because state-owned refineries in the country are not operational.<\/p>\n Built by Aliko Dangote, the Dangote Refinery is a privately owned facility and began production in January 2024. However, it has been unable to get adequate crude supplies in Nigeria, a Reuters <\/em>report indicates, because of theft, pipeline vandalism and low investment, and has subsequently been importing the fuel from as far afield as Brazil and the United States.<\/p>\n Now, Nigerian legislators are investigating allegations that the refinery imported polluted fuel into the country.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Rwandan election, which was held last Monday and in which President Paul Kagame won almost 100% of the vote, has sparked concerns about \u2018true\u2019 democratic freedom in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the outcome of the elections reflect maybe his popularity, they also raise concerns about the shrinking democratic space in Rwanda,\u201d Nkala said. \u201cThere were key or prominent opposition candidates that were banned from participating in the elections. Some were jailed, some were told that their criminal records are barring them,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n In Kenya, violent youth protests have been raging since the 18 June 2024. A finance bill was passed to raise taxes to meet the country\u2019s fiscal needs was the initial catalyst for the rally.<\/p>\n However, protests continued even after President William Ruto responded by withdrawing the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, they [the protests] have morphed into a wider anti-government protest, calling for the resignation of parliamentarians, calling for even the resignation of the president himself,\u201d Nkala explained.<\/p>\n Despite numerous responses from the president, including calls for negotiation and a cabinet reshuffle, the protest has spread from Nairobi to other parts of the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will wait and see what the outcome is, but Ruto is digging in. He doesn\u2019t seem to want to go anywhere,\u201d Nkala said.<\/p>\n