The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical is gearing up to export fuel to South Africa, Angola, and Namibia. A highly credible source confirmed this on Friday, revealing that discussions with these countries are in advanced stages to initiate fuel lifting from the 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity refinery.
Reports indicate that four other African nations—Niger Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic—have also started negotiations with the refinery. Additionally, more countries are expected to show interest in sourcing fuel from the refinery in the coming months.
Recently, Ghana expressed interest in purchasing petrol from the $20 billion refinery in Lekki. Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority Chairman, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, noted that an arrangement with the Dangote refinery could replace his country’s monthly $400 million fuel imports from Europe.
“I can confirm that discussions are progressing with Ghana, Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, while initial talks are underway with Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic,” the source stated.
Addressing why some marketers are hesitant to purchase from Dangote, the source claimed that these dealers may have undisclosed motives. “Between now and January 2025, their plans will likely become clear. The Dangote refinery holds significant potential for providing a stable fuel supply across the country,” the source added.
Meanwhile, local marketers have opted to continue importing fuel from outside the country. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) recently maintained their stance on importation, citing high prices from Dangote’s refinery.
These marketers are currently awaiting authorisation from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to import lower-cost petrol, which they argue could offer relief to consumers affected by recent price hikes following subsidy removal.
For the importation plans to proceed, marketers have requested access to foreign exchange from the CBN and regulatory permits from the NMDPRA to meet fuel quality and compliance standards. However, the NMDPRA has clarified that it cannot grant import licences to IPMAN and PETROAN as associations; licences can only be issued based on individual applications.
An NMDPRA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained, “They must apply as individual entities rather than as a collective association to receive an import licence. This policy is in accordance with established regulations.”
In response, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr Joseph Obele, shared that the association had applied for an import licence through its new trading arm. Obele described Dangote as an “aggressive competitor” intent on maintaining market dominance.
“Dangote is aiming to block all competitive entry points into the market. Once we receive regulatory approval to import, we expect the current petrol prices causing hardship for Nigerians to drop significantly. Our imported product will be of higher quality,” Obele stated, urging Nigerians to support the call for market competition and oppose monopolies.
