Africa’s largest refinery, the Dangote Oil Refinery, is set to reach full operational capacity within the next 30 days, according to its chief executive.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) facility, built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos, began refining crude into diesel, naphtha, and jet fuel in January 2024, later expanding to petrol production in September.
Currently operating at 85% capacity, the refinery has faced challenges securing local crude despite an agreement with the Nigerian government to purchase supplies in naira. Last year, it resorted to importing crude to meet its needs.
“We can go 100 percent in 30 days,” said Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote Oil Refinery.
To address supply issues, the refinery has requested 550,000 bpd of crude from Nigerian oil producers for the first half of 2025. In response, regulators have warned they will block export permits for oil companies failing to meet local supply quotas.
Meanwhile, Dangote Refinery is expanding its market reach. Founder Aliko Dangote revealed that two shipments of jet fuel were sent to Saudi Aramco, part of the company’s broader strategy to compete with European refiners.
“We are looking at all the markets right now,” Devakumar added.