New data shows Africa’s biggest refinery has imported over one billion barrels of blended petrol since starting commercial operations. The facility is the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, based in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
The refinery is owned by Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire and one of Africa’s richest people. It can process up to 650,000 barrels of crude oil every day. That makes it the largest refinery on the African continent by processing capacity. At full output, the facility could also rank among the biggest refineries in the world.
The Dangote Refinery took many years to build and cost more than 19 billion US dollars. It faced repeated delays before it began delivering fuel to Nigerian petrol stations in 2024. The project’s core aim was to refine Nigerian crude locally and cut the country’s costly fuel import bill.
Even though it is a refinery, the Dangote facility has been importing blended gasoline — also called blendstock. Blendstock is a partially refined petroleum product that is mixed further to produce finished petrol. Business Insider Africa reports the total volume of these imports has now passed one billion barrels.
Refineries buy blendstock when their own production cannot keep up with local demand. Buying blendstock and finishing it locally can sometimes cost less than refining fresh crude. The Dangote Refinery has used both approaches as it builds its output.
The refinery is built as a single-train facility, with all its processing units linked together. When one section needs maintenance or repairs, the whole refinery must reduce its output. Managing such downtime is one reason refineries often import blended stocks to fill supply gaps.
Fuel market analysts say the one billion barrel import total reflects a large and active supply operation. The refinery officially began selling petrol directly to Nigerian filling stations in late 2024. Since then, it has been a key player in supplying fuel to Africa’s most populous country.
Nigeria has long produced large amounts of crude oil but sent it overseas to be refined. The country then bought back the finished petrol at high prices, draining foreign exchange. The Dangote Refinery was built to stop that cycle by refining oil at home.
For South Africa, developments at the Dangote Refinery carry some weight. South Africa imports a large share of its refined fuel every year. If the refinery produces surplus petrol, it could begin exporting to other African countries. That would give South African fuel importers access to a regional supplier closer to home.
The refinery aims to raise production through 2025 and reach full capacity in the coming years. Aliko Dangote has stated that the facility plans to export refined fuel to other African nations. The export drive would start once the refinery can produce more than Nigeria needs locally. Dangote has mentioned West Africa and Southern Africa as priority export markets.
As of mid-2026, the Dangote Refinery has become Nigeria’s main source of locally refined petrol. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company has acknowledged the refinery’s contribution to local fuel supply. The billion-barrel blended petrol import total shows the scale of supply it has managed since launching.
Mia Carter is Mzansi Online’s entertainment correspondent covering South Africa’s vibrant cultural scene. From the rise of amapiano and Afrobeats to local film, television and celebrity news, Mia keeps readers in the loop on what’s trending. She covers SAMA Awards, SA Fashion Week and the stories behind the country’s biggest artists, actors and influencers. Mia is passionate about celebrating the creativity and talent that makes South Africa’s entertainment industry one of Africa’s most exciting.