Crude oil deliveries from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery doubled in March, raising hopes for improved fuel availability in Nigeria and across West Africa.
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, disclosed this during a visit by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, to the group’s industrial complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. Dangote praised NNPC for increasing crude supplies to the refinery, noting that March deliveries reached 10 cargoes—six paid for in naira and four in dollars—to support domestic fuel production.
Despite the improvement, Dangote pointed out that the supply remains below the 19 cargoes required for optimal operations. To bridge the gap, the refinery has continued to import crude from the United States and other African producers. He also expressed frustration over the reluctance of international oil companies operating in Nigeria to sell crude directly to the refinery, forcing it to repurchase at higher prices through traders—an arrangement he said has broader economic implications.
Dangote called for greater access to domestically priced crude under local currency arrangements to help moderate fuel costs and strengthen long-term energy and food security across the continent.
On her part, Mohammed highlighted the strategic importance of Dangote Industries—particularly Dangote Fertiliser Limited—in addressing Africa’s mounting food security challenges. She urged stronger global partnerships to scale the group’s impact and pledged that the United Nations would amplify scalable solutions to mitigate the continent’s food crisis.
Her remarks come amid growing concern over food shortages and supply chain disruptions across Africa, driven by global economic pressures, climate shocks, and geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East.
Dangote said the group has ramped up exports of urea and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to African markets hit by supply disruptions. In recent days, the company has increased fertiliser shipments to support agricultural productivity and ease supply constraints. The refinery has also dispatched around 17 cargoes of petrol to affected countries, leveraging its 650,000 barrels per day capacity to stabilise fuel supplies across multiple regions.
“We have the capacity to supply Nigerians and most of West, Central, and East Africa,” Dangote said, underscoring the refinery’s role in cushioning the impact of global supply shocks.
