The Dangote refinery has officially begun construction work for the expansion of the facility from 650,000 barrels to 1.4 million barrels per day.
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, disclosed this at a press briefing in Lagos, on Sunday.
Dangote, who was in company with his friend and Chairman of First Bank, Femi Otedola, said after the expansion, the refinery would become the largest in the world, adding that an agreement with the technology licensor that will expand the facility had already been signed.
He said: “We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. Upon completion, this will make it the largest refinery in the world, surpassing the Jamnagar Refinery in India.”
Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, said the company had a target completion date of three years.
He appreciated President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government for their continued support and commitment to Nigeria’s industrial growth and also commended the president for enacting policies that support industrialisation, such as the Nigeria First policy, the Naira-for-crude policy, and the One-stop Shop, reportedly bringing “great revolution to the downstream sector that has emboldened the group to make this major step policy of ensuring domestic processing of all our crude and exporting only finished petroleum products.”
Dangote expressed optimism that despite current crude shortages, the Federal Government would make crude available to the single-train refinery.
He recalled that the Federal Government was instrumental in mediating recent disruptions at the refinery linked to union activities and “sabotage attempts”.
The expansion, he explained, reflected the company’s confidence in Nigeria’s future, in Africa’s potential, and its commitment to building energy independence for Africa and the world.
“It is also about confidence in Nigeria, in Africa, and in our capacity to shape our own energy future. It is the dream of President Bola Tinubu for Nigeria to emerge as one of the major suppliers of petroleum products in the world. And with his strong backing through previously stated policies, we are taking on the challenge to make this happen,” he added.
He added that the expansion was a way of responding to rising regional demand, reducing import dependence, saving billions in foreign exchange and strengthening Nigeria’s energy security.
According to him, over 65,000 workers would be needed for the construction exercise, and 85 per cent would be Nigerians.
Dangote added that the refinery would also ramp up its power generation from 500 megawatts to 1,000 MW. He had signed an agreement with the technology licensor, which will expand it.
“With this expansion, we would require 65,000 workers during construction; such a project will further unlock opportunities for local industries. We will also be expanding our polypropylene production from 900,000 metric tonnes to 2.4 million metric tonnes per annum. This will further enrich the production of linear alkylbenzene, a key ingredient for the production of detergents, and the additional production of base oils.
“With this expansion, the refinery transitions from producing Euro V to Euro VI fuel standards, meeting the highest global environmental benchmarks, and expands power generation capacity, ensuring full operational self-sufficiency. Over 85 per cent of our workforce will be Nigerian, with ongoing investment in skills and technology transfer,” he stressed.
Within the next year, Dangote plans to list 10 per cent of the refinery shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, calling it a step toward broader ownership and market transparency.
“Therefore, we call on all Nigerians to seize this window, to benefit from this golden opportunity. Our long-term goal remains clear: to build Africa’s leading integrated energy and petrochemical hub, the first of its kind on the continent,” he said.
“As we approach the end of the year, Nigerians often face fuel shortages, long queues, and arbitrary price increases that cause great hardship for travellers and businesses alike. In the last three days, we have witnessed an 8 per cent spike in the global oil price.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the Dangote refinery is fully committed to maintaining an uninterrupted supply of petrol throughout the festive period. Our goal is to ensure consistent product flow at stable prices, eliminating the disruptions and exploitation that have become common during the ember months,” Dangote added.
The businessman called on the “holders of the other 30 refinery licences to seize this opportunity to support Mr President’s dream of making Nigeria the refining hub on the continent.”
