Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery is redrawing fuel trade routes across Africa after a performance test pushed crude processing to 700,000 barrels per day, exceeding its 650,000 bpd nameplate capacity for the first time.
The test, conducted by the plant’s process licensors, confirmed the Lekki-based facility as the world’s largest single train refinery, the company said this week. The result strengthened a year in which the refinery has rapidly increased shipments of petrol, diesel and jet fuel since fuel production began in 2024.
Export data illustrate the shift. According to analytics firm Kpler, shipments climbed to 353,000 bpd in April from 168,000 bpd in February, with about half flowing to other African countries. Exports eased to 285,000 bpd in May but stayed well above earlier levels. The plant became the world’s largest jet fuel exporter in April, capitalising on supply disruptions linked to Middle East tensions.
Analysts say the ramp-up is bolstering Africa’s energy security by cutting reliance on traditional import suppliers, though some caution it is too early to call the trend a permanent shift in trade patterns.
Devakumar Edwin, Vice President for Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, said the higher throughput is part of a plan to lift capacity to 1.4 million bpd within 30 months. Chief Executive David Bird, speaking at a London conference, called the expansion a “ruthless replication” of the original plant, with a new 700,000 bpd unit targeted for late 2028.
Owned by billionaire Aliko Dangote, the refinery now ships products across Africa, Europe, the United States and Saudi Arabia, positioning Nigeria as a growing force in global refined fuel markets.