KEY POINTS
- Dangote Refinery, operating at full 650,000 bpd capacity, increased gasoline and fertiliser exports to African countries amid supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.
- The refinery shipped about 17 gasoline cargoes in March and redirected urea exports to African markets to cushion regional shortages.
- Dangote is seeking more naira-priced crude, while NNPC has raised crude allocations to seven cargoes for May to support production and ease fuel costs.
Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery has significantly increased exports of gasoline and urea fertiliser to African countries as supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing Iran war continue to strain energy markets across the continent.
President of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, disclosed this during a tour of the massive refinery complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, noting that the facility is currently operating at its maximum production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the largest refining output in Africa.
According to Dangote, the refinery’s increased export activity is helping cushion the effects of the supply crunch affecting several African nations, while also supporting Nigeria’s domestic fuel availability.
He assured that the refinery has the capacity to supply petroleum products across West Africa, Central Africa, and East Africa, emphasizing that the company has stepped up shipments in response to rising demand triggered by global disruptions.
Increased Fuel Shipments Across Africa
Dangote revealed that the refinery exported approximately 17 cargoes of gasoline to African countries in March alone, as buyers sought alternative sources of refined fuel.
He added that exports of urea fertiliser had also risen in recent days, with the refinery shifting focus toward African markets, a departure from its previous export pattern.
“In the last couple of days, we’ve been looking mostly to African countries, which we were not doing before,” Dangote said, referring to fertiliser shipments.
The Dangote fertiliser plant has an annual production capacity of about 3 million metric tonnes of urea. Historically, most of this output has been exported to the United States and countries in South America, but recent developments have redirected supply to African buyers.
