Known as “the giant of Africa”, Nigeria hosts several cutting-edge engineering masterpieces. Below are some of the most notable engineering landmarks in the country.
- Dangote Refinery
Dangote Refinery is an oil refinery owned by Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote. The refinery sits on a 2,500 hectares site at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki, Lagos State. It is supplied with crude oil by the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in the world (1,100 km long). It has been estimated to provide 135,000 permanent jobs in the region.
The world’s largest crude distillation column, weighing 2,350 tonnes, was installed at the Dangote refinery by a specialist Dutch company in 2019.
2. Millennium Tower and Cultural Centre, Abuja
The Millenium Tower is located in the Central Business District (CBD) of Abuja and stands at a height of 17om (560 ft), making it the tallest artificial structure in Abuja.
The eight-story cultural center comprises of meeting rooms, museums, restaurants, offices, fitness centers, hotels, a swimming pool, and one 1,200-seating capacity auditorium, enclosed by a steel-glass pyramid confining about 16,500 sqm.
The observatory tower was designed by Manfredi Nicoletti and features an observation deck and a revolving restaurant at a height of 110m, offering a 360-degree view of the capital city. 
The space underneath the Square and the tower can accommodate up to 1100 car parks.
3. The Niger Bridges
The Niger River Bridge, also known as the Onitsha Bridge, connects the southwestern part of Nigeria to western Nigeria. The bridge was constructed by French construction giant, Dumez between 1964 and 1965. It was commissioned by former Prime Minister, the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, and was opened for traffic in December 1965. Before its construction, travel across the river Niger was achieved with river ferries and boats.
The Second Niger Bridge was constructed by Julius Berger. Construction for the bridge started on 2018 and the bridge was inaugurated on May 2023.
The bridge features; a 1,600 m long reinforced concrete river crossing with a maximum span of 150 m, a 1 motorway junction, 1 toll station, and a 10 km road construction on extremely soft and swampy terrain.
4. Lagos-Ibadan Railway
The Lagos-Ibadan Railway was constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and was built to link Nigeria’s southwestern cities of Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan. The railway line is a double track standard gauge rail, the biggest in West African sub-region and is the first part of a new 2,773-km Lagos-Kano standard gauge line. The train travels at a speed of 150km/h.
5. Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge
The Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge is the first cable-stayed bridge in West Africa. The bridge was constructed by Julius Berger International and connects the Lekki and Ikoyi districts
The 2×2-lane main bridge is 635 metres long and has a 90-metre-high pylon in the middle. This pylon supports the adjacent bridge via inclined steel cables. The bridge structure was constructed with the use of mainly precast concrete elements.
6. Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park
Hi Impact Planet is a theme park located on the outskirts of Lagos in Ogun State along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
The theme park features giant machineries of different kinds such as the ferris wheel, mini train rides, roller coasters, giant swings, water slides etc. built to provide a fun and thrilling experience for both children and adults. Similary, Magicland Amusement Park in Abuja displays the great work of mechanical engineering.
7. Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) Base
LADOL is an independent base anchored around a 200m quay with a deep, 8.5m draft. It was built out of a disused swamp on a secure island inside Apapa Port.
The QUAY provides a wide range of services from ship repair to other logistical services, such as warehousing, material handling equipment, fabrication and assembly yards, people management, catering, bunkering of fuel and water, facilities for the supply of bulk materials, a helicopter base, open and closed storage facilities, sewage and waste treatment, potable water and medical services, contributing remarkably to the country’s energy sector.
8. Egbin Power Plc
Egbin Power Plc is one of the largest thermal power plants in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is located in Egbin, Ikorodu, Lagos State and was constructed by Marubeni Consortium.
It is the largest power generating station in Nigeria possessing an installed capacity of 1,320 MW consisting of 6 Units of 220MW each. Other notable examples include; Geregu Power Plant in Geregu, Kogi State, Afam Power Plant and Azura-Edo Power Plants.
9. Kainji Dam
Kainji Dam is a dam located across the Niger River in Niger State, Nigeria. The dam was constructed by Impregilo, a consortium of Italian Civil Engineering Contractors.
The dam extends for about 10 km, including its saddle dam, which closes off a tributary valley. The primary section across the outflow to the Niger is 550 metres (1,800 ft). While the majority of the dam is constructed using earth materials, the central portion, accomodating the hydroelectric turbines, is made of concrete and reaches a height of 65 meters (213 ft), making the dam is one of the longest in the world.
Other notable dams include; Shiroro dam, Jebba dam, Gurara and Dadin-Kowa dam.
