Dangote Refinery Steps Up Exports To Ease Petrol Supply Across Africa

According to industry sources, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has increased exports of petrol and urea to several African countries in a strategic move to address supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing United States-Israel-Iran conflict.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals confirmed the ramp-up during a tour of the 650,000 barrels-per-day facility, assuring that the refinery has the capacity to meet both Nigeria’s and regional fuel demands.

Operating at maximum capacity, the refinery has already shipped 17 cargoes of fuel to neighboring African nations. Urea exports have also seen a significant increase as buyers seek alternative supply sources. The refinery, which typically exports the bulk of its 3 million metric tons of urea annually to the United States and South America, is now redirecting shipments to regional markets.

Dangote highlighted that the refinery aims to secure more crude cargoes priced in local currency to help reduce fuel costs, noting that Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has increased allocations for May deliveries.

The refinery recently entered a strategic partnership with Honeywell International Inc. to expand its daily processing capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028. The collaboration will introduce advanced technology to handle a wider range of crude grades, enhance operational reliability, and improve product quality. Additionally, the partnership will expand polypropylene production to 2.4 million metric tons annually, supporting industrial applications across manufacturing, packaging, and automotive sectors.

Dangote also outlined plans to scale urea production from three million metric tons to nine million metric tons annually through the addition of four new production trains, reinforcing the company’s commitment to meeting growing African and global demand.

He emphasized that the refinery’s expansion is aligned with Nigeria’s evolving policy environment, which encourages local refining, and highlighted the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in creating a favorable industrial landscape.

With the expansion, the facility will transition from producing Euro V to Euro VI fuel standards, increase power generation capacity to 1,000 megawatts, and continue prioritizing Nigerian workforce participation and skills development. Dangote projected that the refinery could generate over $55 billion in annual revenue, cementing its position as one of Africa’s most valuable industrial assets.

The CEO stressed that the project reflects confidence in Nigeria’s future and Africa’s potential for energy independence, noting that the refinery’s growth will support job creation, strengthen the industrial base, reduce foreign exchange outflows, and transform Nigeria into a global hub for refined petroleum products.