Crude oil supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited(NNPC) to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery saw a significant increase in March, raising expectations for improved fuel availability across Nigeria.
The development was disclosed by Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, during a visit by Amina Mohammed to the company’s industrial complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
Dangote praised the NNPC for increasing crude deliveries to 10 cargoes in March, compared to previous volumes. He noted that six of the cargoes were supplied in naira, while four were paid for in dollars to support domestic fuel production.
“Last month, they gave us six cargoes for naira and four cargoes for dollars,” he said.
Despite the increase, Dangote explained that the supply still falls short of the refinery’s operational needs, which require about 19 cargoes for optimal performance. As a result, the refinery continues to import crude from the United States and other African producers to bridge the gap.
He also raised concerns about international oil companies operating in Nigeria, accusing them of preferring to sell crude to traders rather than directly to the refinery. According to him, this forces the refinery to repurchase crude at higher prices, with wider implications for the economy.
Dangote added that the company is pushing for greater access to locally priced crude under naira-based arrangements to help reduce fuel costs and strengthen long-term energy security.
In her remarks, Mohammed highlighted the importance of Dangote Industries’ operations especially its fertiliser arm in tackling Africa’s growing food security challenges. She called for stronger international collaboration to expand such large-scale industrial solutions.
“I think the UN’s job here is to amplify and to put visibility on the possibilities of mitigating a food security crisis, and this is one of them,” she said. “I hope that when we go back, we can continue to engage partners and countries that should collaborate with Dangote Industries.”
Her comments come amid increasing concerns over food shortages and supply chain disruptions across Africa, driven by economic pressures, climate-related shocks, and geopolitical tensions.
Dangote also revealed that the company has stepped up exports of urea fertiliser and petroleum products to African countries affected by supply disruptions. He noted that about 17 cargoes of petrol have already been shipped across the continent, leveraging the refinery’s 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity.
“The challenges are many. One is of urea, which is fertiliser that we have. I think in the last couple of days we’ve been loading to mostly African countries, which we were not doing before,” he said. “And then now it’s to do with petroleum products, which we are now sending mainly to African countries.”
He reassured that the refinery has the capacity to meet demand across Nigeria and other regions in Africa.
“What I can do is assure Nigerians … and most of West Africa, Central Africa, and East Africa, we have the capacity to supply them,” Dangote said.
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