Dangote Refinery Begins Export Journey to West Africa
Dangote Refinery, owned by Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, is on the brink of exporting refined petroleum products.
The refinery, a 650,000-barrels-per-day mega facility located in Lagos, Nigeria, has loaded a gasoline shipment now floating off Togo’s coast, signaling its readiness to serve markets beyond Nigeria.
According to ship-tracking data and port reports analysed by Bloomberg, the tanker CL Jane Austen recently hauled over 300,000 barrels of gasoline from the Dangote facility.
Currently anchored near Lomé, Togo, a hotspot for ship-to-ship transfers, the tanker’s cargo could either remain in the region or be transferred to vessels destined for other markets.
This comes just days after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced it would cease importing refined petroleum products, opting instead to source fuel locally, including from Dangote Refinery.
“Today, NNPC does not import any product; we are taking only from domestic refineries,” NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari stated.
The shipment to Lomé follows an earlier delivery of gasoline to Nigeria, marking a gradual ramp-up of operations at the mega facility. If sustained, the refinery could significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on European and U.S. fuel imports while positioning the country as a key supplier within West Africa and beyond.
