Dangote Petroleum Refinery has achieved a significant operational milestone, recording an average capacity utilisation of 105.21 per cent in August 2026, according to data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The 700,000 barrels-per-day refinery processed an average of 736,470 barrels of crude oil per day in August, a substantial increase from 497,000 barrels per day in July, when utilisation stood at 71 per cent.
The strong performance was supported by a rebound in domestic crude oil supply, with deliveries rising by 16.75 per cent to 683,000 barrels per day during the month.
The refinery’s improved throughput translated into average daily production of 84.43 million litres of refined white products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO/diesel), and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK), further reinforcing its role as a major supplier of refined petroleum products across Nigeria and the wider West African region.
Dangote Group said the achievement underscores the refinery’s growing contribution to Nigeria’s energy security, foreign exchange conservation, and industrial growth agenda.
The refinery continued to significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products during the review period.
Domestic PMS deliveries from the refinery rose by 39 per cent month-on-month to 35.87 million litres per day in August, accounting for approximately 71 per cent of total domestic petrol supply.
The increased local supply contributed to a sharp decline in fuel imports, with national PMS imports falling by 26 per cent to 14.60 million litres per day, highlighting the refinery’s expanding impact on the domestic fuel market.
Beyond meeting a significant portion of Nigeria’s domestic fuel requirements, the refinery also strengthened the country’s export profile through robust shipments of refined products.
In August, the refinery exported an average of 9.73 million litres of PMS daily, alongside 8.75 million litres of diesel and 21.30 million litres of aviation fuel.
These volumes further support Nigeria’s emergence as a net exporter of refined petroleum products and contribute to increased foreign exchange earnings for the country.
The refinery’s growing production capacity was particularly evident in the diesel market, where domestic AGO deliveries averaged 12.37 million litres per day.
This level of output substantially reduced the need for imported diesel, with national diesel imports declining from 7.90 million litres per day in July to 1.30 million litres per day in August.
The development reflects the refinery’s increasing ability to support critical sectors of the economy, including transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, and power generation.
The refinery’s ability to operate above its nameplate capacity demonstrates the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of its operations. The performance milestone also reinforces investor confidence as the refinery’s ongoing public offering continues to attract significant market attention.
Dangote Group reiterated its commitment to maximising local value addition, supporting economic diversification, and ensuring the sustainable supply of high-quality refined petroleum products to Nigeria, Africa, and global markets.
Dangote takes $50b
African industrialisation drive to East Africa
Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) President, Aliko Dangote, said Africa must mobilise its own capital, build at global scale and increasingly own the businesses transforming its economy, as he takes his industrialisation drive into East Africa.
Speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, on the eve of today’s groundbreaking of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lamu, Dangote disclosed plans to invest an additional $50 billion across the continent, after committing more than $25 billion to existing businesses.
‘It’s better we do big scale,’ he told a fireside chat with Nairobi Securities Exchange CEO, Frank Mwiti, at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery IPO High Level Investor Engagement.
The groundbreaking comes amid a legal challenge. The Malindi Environment and Land Court has ordered that the status quo be maintained on disputed land until October 14, following a petition by 133 residents, though it did not stop the ceremony. Dangote, who said he learnt of the case from a media report, described such disputes as part of executing major projects.
President William Ruto’s economic adviser, David Ndii, said the project grew from discussions on using African resources for industrialisation rather than extraction, targeting an East African market of about 20 million metric tonnes annually.
Dangote said the ongoing public offer of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery was not driven by a need for cash but by a desire to ‘democratise wealth’.
He said all the Group’s operating businesses would eventually be owned by the people, with its new shipping and fertiliser businesses also headed to the capital market.
The Lamu refinery, when ready, should be listed in Kenya rather than Nigeria, he added.
Chairman of Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority, Ugas Mohammed, said enquiries had come in daily since the offer opened on September 14.
He said regulators in Kenya, Nigeria and other countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate cross-border investment.
Under Vision 2030, Dangote said the Group targets over $100 billion in annual revenue, with fertiliser capacity expanding to about 12 million tonnes.
‘You can become bigger than Dangote,’ he told young entrepreneurs.