Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has revealed plans to expand his 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery into the world’s largest, with a capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day.
He made the announcement during a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday, stating that the expansion would position his facility ahead of India’s Jamnagar Refinery, which currently holds the title with a capacity of 1,240,000 barrels per day.
According to Dangote, the planned upgrade will also see the refinery increase its polypropylene production from 900,000 metric tonnes to 2.4 million metric tonnes annually.
“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,” he stated.
While he did not specify a timeline for the expansion or the strategy for achieving the milestone, the announcement underscores his ambition to solidify Nigeria’s position in global energy production.
Recently, the company launched a direct petrol supply scheme aimed at stabilising domestic fuel distribution. However, several petroleum marketers have voiced concerns about delays and non-supply of petrol after making payments to the refinery.
Bloomberg earlier reported that Dangote has been grappling with operational challenges affecting petrol distribution across Nigeria.
In the meantime, petrol prices have surged nationwide amid the refinery’s supply setbacks, with filling stations in Abuja selling between ₦950 and ₦965 per litre.
