(Bloomberg) -- The new 650,000 barrel-a-day oil refinery in Nigeria owned by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, has started operations. 

The plant outside Lagos is now producing diesel and aviation fuel, Dangote Group said Saturday on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The refinery will be key for Africa’s largest economy to process its own crude oil rather than importing costly fuel processed abroad.

Dangote thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support and encouragement in the realization of the project, which it called a “game changer” for Nigeria. 

“This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects,” the company said. 

The opening comes less than two weeks after Nigeria’s anti-graft commission raided Dangote Group offices as part of investigations into foreign exchange dealings at Nigeria’s central bank.

Funding for the $18.5 billion refinery is thought to be the focus of investigators, since Dangote was granted access to scarce dollars by the central bank to help it procure needed equipment.

Read more: Raid on Billionaire Dangote’s Office Spooks Nigerian Businesses

The company has denied any wrongdoing.

The refinery is sourcing domestic crude under a supply deal with the trading arm of the state company Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. The plant will also have capacity to process most other African grades as well as Arab Light crude from Saudi Arabia and supplies from other countries including the US, according to the company.

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