Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has assured that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has an ample supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to fully meet Nigeria’s domestic needs.
Speaking over the weekend, Dangote revealed that the refinery currently holds “more than half a billion litres of petroleum” and has products worth over 600 billion Naira stored in its tanks.
“…As we speak right now, we have more than half a billion litres. The Refinery is producing enough refined products, like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, to meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s requirements,” he stated.
Following a visit to the refinery complex by a delegation from the Zambian government, led by Minister of Energy Makozo Chikote, Dangote emphasised that the project extends beyond Nigeria’s borders.
“This refinery is not only for Nigeria; it is for Africa. We must sustain the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) deal. We are trying to see how we trade with other African countries,” he said.
Zambia’s Energy Minister, Chikote, remarked that his key takeaway from the visit was Dangote’s commitment to Africa’s broader development.
Chikote, who led a team of energy experts to explore potential energy partnerships with Dangote Petroleum Refinery, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with the African manufacturing powerhouse.
During their tour of the Dangote complex at the Free Trade Zone in Ibeju Lekki—including the Single Point Mooring, the Dangote Jetty, Africa’s largest fertiliser plant, and the world’s largest single-train refinery (650,000 barrels per day)—the Zambian delegation was highly impressed. Chikote described the presentation by Edwin Devakumar, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, as one that made their hearts “jump.”
He noted that the presentation resonated with Zambia’s energy challenges.
“In Zambia, we created an environment for the private sector to participate in the growth and development of our country. Currently, 100 per cent of our petroleum is done by the private sector,” Chikote said.
“We are targeting increased productivity in mining, agriculture, and other sectors. Your presentation is an immediate solution to our energy needs. We are trying to promote competition among our private players.
“We are looking at Dangote coming on board, which would lead to efficient, reliable, quality, and competitive products, and we want these done like yesterday.”
Reflecting on their visit, Chikote highlighted the benefits of fostering competition, noting its positive impact on citizens’ lives.
“Coming to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, we have learned so many advantages of bringing many players for competition, which has improved the lives of the citizens.”
He further stressed the need for stronger intra-African trade.
“From what we have seen, we need to promote trade within Africa to promote each other. We need these countries together to make Africa efficient and a reliable trade hub.
“We have seen here that we can learn from what Dangote has done, and this would lead Africa and Africans to stand on their feet and not depend on overseas support in terms of trade. I believe going forward that people have learned a few lessons. The one lesson I have learned from this visit is that Dangote looks at the bigger picture for Africa.”
Another member of the Zambian delegation, Samuel Maimbo, Vice President of Budget, Performance Review, and Strategic Planning at the World Bank Group—currently campaigning for the African Development Bank (AfDB) presidency—emphasised that Africa lacks sufficient development aid and government funding.
“There is also not enough government funding to develop Africa. The only way we can finance Africa’s growth at a pace and scale that solves our problem is by working through the private sector, which is why we are here today, to learn and to see what an ambitious programme looks like,” Maimbo said.
He underscored that private sector investments are essential for Africa’s economic advancement.
Edwin Devakumar, Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, reiterated that the refinery’s core strategy is to produce the highest quality products.
“The project concept was to process the crude from Nigeria and add value. But we also wanted to provide some flexibility to process most of the African crudes and some of the Middle Eastern crudes,” he explained.
Detailing the refinery’s operational efficiency, he stated:
“In another concept, what we did was maximum value extraction. That is a process where every barrel of crude which goes in, the value addition should be the best.”
He further highlighted the refinery’s production capacity, saying:
“The Refinery can meet all our requirements. Forty-four per cent can meet the entire requirements of Nigeria, and 56 per cent of the production would be exported. Every day, we produce lighter products of 104 million litres; 57 million litres of petrol every day; 20 million litres of jet fuel; and 27 million litres of diesel production.”
He also noted that Nigeria’s local fuel consumption is approximately 46 million litres daily, with the surplus of 58 million litres available for exports.
