The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has entered a new phase of growth with the appointment of David Bird as its first standalone Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos on Wednesday January 14 2026 the former head of Oman Duqm refinery unveiled a bold plan to expand the facility nameplate capacity from 650,000 to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028.
This roofless replication strategy involves building a second processing line that mirrors the current design to avoid the engineering delays typically associated with large scale energy projects.
Bird confirmed that the refinery is currently producing between 50 and 52 million liters of petrol daily even while certain sections undergo scheduled maintenance. To sustain this output the company is engaging in high level discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to increase the volume of crude supplied under the naira for crude arrangement.
Currently about 30 to 40 percent of the refinery feedstock is sourced through this policy which helps reduce foreign exchange pressure on the national economy while stabilizing domestic fuel prices.
The CEO emphasized that price stability remains a priority noting that the refinery currently maintains a gantry price of 699 naira per liter for marketers. To encourage efficient distribution a 10 day credit facility has also been introduced for petroleum marketers backed by bank guarantees.
Bird noted that more than 1,000 trucks are loaded daily at the facility and the upcoming expansion will eventually turn Nigeria into a dominant exporter of refined products across West and Central Africa.
Construction for the second line is set to begin immediately as most of the land at the Lekki Free Trade Zone has already been reclaimed and prepared. Bird expects structural steel to begin emerging from the ground by the end of 2025 with long lead equipment orders targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2026.
This expansion project is expected to create over 65,000 additional jobs and further reduce Nigeria dependence on imported fuels which has already fallen by over 50 percent since the refinery began operations.
