The Dangote Refinery has reassured Nigerians of sustained price stability in the domestic fuel market, even as it signalled plans to list its refinery business on the stock market and outlined an ambitious expansion strategy to scale capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day within three years.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, David Bird, disclosed that the facility is currently producing about 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, daily. This output is supported by a 24-hour loading operation that dispatches more than 1,000 trucks each day to meet nationwide demand.
Speaking on the refinery’s operations and future plans, Bird said round-the-clock production and logistics have ensured that increased output is matched by efficient distribution, reinforcing fuel supply stability across the country.
According to him, the scale and efficiency of the refinery’s logistics network have played a key role in ending the fuel scarcity that previously characterised many Nigerian cities, particularly during peak festive periods.
“We have been able to achieve over 1,000 trucks of daily offtake. So, it is not just about production; it is also about the offtake that enables us to reach 50 million litres a day,” Bird said. “This is not a simple crude processing plant. We have built a flexible and resilient production system that allows us to produce finished products from crude, intermediates or blending components.”
Bird added that the refinery has continued to meet domestic fuel demand even during planned maintenance, underscoring the operational flexibility of the $20 billion facility. He described the refinery as a modern “merchant refining, blending and trading platform,” designed to maximise efficiency and reliability.
On expansion plans targeted for completion by 2026, the CEO said the refinery intends to adopt a “roofless replication” strategy, which involves replicating the existing configuration without returning to detailed engineering design.
“This approach allows us to fast-track procurement and construction,” Bird explained. “Once engineers reopen an expansion for redesign, it often leads to months or even years of delays. By replicating what already works, we can immediately order long-lead items and begin construction.”
Located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone near Lagos, the Dangote Refinery is currently the world’s largest single-train refinery, with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. An expansion to 1.4 million barrels per day would further cement its status as one of the world’s largest refining complexes and significantly alter fuel supply dynamics across Africa, a region traditionally dependent on imported refined products.
Bird, who was recently appointed as the refinery’s first standalone CEO, noted that the expansion timeline is based on parallel activities that will commence immediately.
He also dismissed claims by some industry players that the pump price of ₦739 per litre for petrol was anti-competitive, insisting that the pricing reflects market realities and operational efficiencies.
Meanwhile, the Head of Communications for the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, observed that the ongoing crisis in Venezuela has presented opportunities for Nigeria, particularly in terms of energy market positioning.
On petrochemicals, Bird said polypropylene production remains central to the refinery’s strategy, adding that future diversification could extend into detergents, base oils, lubricants and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), driven by population growth and the need for import substitution.
Commenting on the crude-for-naira programme, Bird disclosed that between 30 and 40 per cent of the refinery’s crude supply currently comes through the initiative. He added that the refinery would continue to engage the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Federal Government to improve crude supply volumes and allocations.
