Report: Dangote Refinery Meets Growing Fuel Demands in West Africa
- Dangote Petroleum Refinery is now meeting the diesel and aviation fuel needs of West and Central Africa, significantly reducing the region's reliance on imports
- Gary Clark from S&P Global Commodity Insights highlighted that the refinery has reshaped trade flows, exporting diesel and jet fuel internationally, despite ongoing geopolitical challenges
- Meanwhile, Lomé, Togo, has emerged as a key port for fuel imports, with European crack spreads softened due to reduced exports to West Africa
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery can supply the diesel and aviation fuel needed by West African and Central African nations, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.
Source: UGC
Gary Clark, a representative of S&P Global Commodity Insights, said at a webinar hosted by the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria that the refinery has sold a significant amount of diesel and jet fuel to West and Central African nations.
Prior to the Dangote refinery's arrival, Clark claimed the area was dependent on imports; however, since the plant began manufacturing petroleum products last year, this has changed.
“You know, prior to the ramping up of supply at the Dangote refinery, West Africa was very much reliant on imports from Europe and elsewhere. But now, with the Dangote refinery coming online, we see a lot of gasoil, diesel, and jet fuel being exported from that refinery, meeting West African and Central African demands. More than enough jet fuel has been exported to supply both the region and more far-flung destinations as well,” Clark said.
Nonetheless, it was mentioned that one of the main ports for importing fuel into Africa is Lomé, Togo.
Clark pointed out that although slower GDP growth and inflation have reduced demand for fuels in Europe, geopolitical shocks such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Middle East tensions still impact global supplies.
“Dangote’s ramp-up has reshaped trade flows, retaining much gasoil in West Africa and exporting jet fuel internationally,” he said, while cautioning that outages and maintenance can quickly reintroduce volatility.
The Head of Economic Intelligence, Research, and Regulation at MEMAN, Mrs. Ogechi Nkwoji, explained in a presentation titled "Demystifying the Lomé Petroleum Market" that Lomé is an essential offshore center that developed as a result of onshore bottlenecks and diminishing refinery capacity.
She claims that big loads are dumped into floating storage off the coast of Togo, where dealers then carry them onto smaller ships and deliver them to local consumers, particularly Nigerian marketers.
Source: Getty Images
Due to reduced exports to West Africa, European crack spreads have been softer than they were during the post-COVID and Russia-Ukraine periods, according to Matthew Tracey-Cook, a senior price reporter for EMEA Gasoline & West Africa Refined Products at S&P Global.
He emphasized how the price of gasoline cracks sharply increased from roughly $13 per barrel to over $17 per barrel in August due to an outage at Dangote's Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit.
“This shows how critical Dangote’s operations have become for the Atlantic basin,” he explained.
Dangote Refinery surges to 610,000 barrels per day
Legit.ng reported that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is operating at unprecedented levels, with output soaring to around 610,000 barrels per day in August 2025, according to the global energy agency Argus.
This marks a sharp rise from earlier months when production hovered around 440,000–450,000bpd.
Benedict George, Editor of the Argus European Products Report, said on a recent podcast that the refinery is “running more reliably and strongly than ever before,” with run rates now “thriving” near full capacity.
Source: Legit.ng
