LAGOS: Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has announced a major expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, increasing its production capacity from 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 million bpd.
The move, he said, will make it the largest single-train refinery in the world upon completion.
Dangote disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing in Lagos, accompanied by his longtime friend and Chairman of First Bank, Femi Otedola.
He explained that the expansion work would commence immediately, signaling another milestone for Nigeria’s industrial and energy sectors.
“We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. Once completed, this will surpass India’s Jamnagar Refinery, making it the largest refinery in the world, Dangote stated.
According to him, about 65,000 workers will be engaged for the expansion phase, with Nigerians making up 85 percent of the workforce.
He also announced plans to boost the refinery’s power generation capacity from 500 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts to support its enlarged operations.
Dangote further revealed that the facility would upgrade its production standard to Euro 6 specifications, an improvement from the current Euro 5 fuel grade.
This will enhance the quality of refined petroleum products and align with global environmental standards.
Highlighting future plans, the business mogul said the Dangote Refinery would be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2026, offering citizens the opportunity to invest and own shares in the company.
The expansion project will take three years to complete, he confirmed, expressing gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his continued support of private-sector-driven industrial growth.
Industry observers have described the development as a bold step toward Nigeria’s energy independence and a significant boost to job creation, infrastructure, and foreign exchange savings.
Once fully operational, the expanded refinery is expected to transform Nigeria into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, reducing import dependence and stabilizing the nation’s fuel supply.
