Dangote Plans World’s Largest Refinery: Expansion to Hit 1.4 Million Barrels Per Day
- Aliko Dangote has unveiled a bold plan to make the 650,000 bpd-capacity Dangote Refinery the world’s largest
- The billionaire disclosed in a recent interview that he plans to expand the refinery to 1.4 mbpd, from the current 650,000
- With the new expansion plan, the Lekki-based facility will become the world’s largest refining plant
Pascal Oparada, a reporter for Legit.ng, has over ten years of experience covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy.
The Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has unveiled an ambitious plan to double the size of the refinery from 650,000 capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, becoming the world’s largest.
The Nigerian billionaire disclosed this in an interview with S&P Global recently.
Legit.ng previously reported that the refinery planned to upgrade the facility to 700,000 barrels per day, the world’s sixth largest.
Source: Getty Images
Dangote unveils ambitious expansion plan
S&P Global reported that Dangote is seeking to double the refinery with Middle Eastern funding, making it the world’s largest.
The refinery has turned Nigeria to a net exporter of diesel and jet fuel and supplies large quantities of petrol to West Africa.
According to Africa’s richest man, developing African energy independence was a daunting task.
Refinery set to surpass India's Jamnagar facility
He said:
“We have to build the refinery again, either here or somewhere else. But really, somewhere else is not possible because we’d have to go and spend so much building infrastructure, and we have the infrastructure already here."
S&P Global projected that in Nigeria alone, the net petrol imports could more than double from 2026-2027 to hit 200,000 barrels per day by 2030, caused by economic development and growing population.
“In July, Dangote unveiled plans to expand the refinery from its current 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd by the end of the year.
Now, the target is to reach 1.4 mbpd, with no specified date, a scale that would surpass the world’s largest 1.36 mbpd refinery in Jamnagar, India,” the report said.
Nigeria’s energy independence in focus
According to a Punch report, engineers at the Lekki complex had disclosed that it was designed with a room for expansion, pointing out empty plots that could hold a second refining system.
Expansion could involve building a second refinery with the same configuration, one engineer confirmed, with the addition of a vacuum distillation unit to enhance light ends yields.
Reports quoted Dangote as saying that the company was working on potential linear alkylbenzene and base oil projects, aiming to grow its annual polypropylene capacity from one million metric tonnes to 1.5 million in the next few years.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that the world will have about 11.4 million barrels per day more refining capacity than it needs in five years, which will be concentrated in China and India.
Dangote Refinery to disrupt global fuel distribution
However, Dangote was said to have rejected a plan that leaves Africa dependent on fuel imports and remains determined to disrupt a market marked by economies of scale.
The industrialist warned that Africa will be in trouble without a huge private investment.
According to him, most African governments will lack the capacity to build refineries, calling smaller projects such as Angola’s new Cabinda facility a drop in the ocean.
Experts said the company’s own maturing debt was seen as a key funding hurdle before securing a critical $4 billion financing agreement in August.
Middle East Partners and new petrochemical push
To expand the facility and develop new petrochemicals in China, Dangote is seeking a strategic partnership with Middle Eastern firms.
He revealed that the company's business is going to change, saying that instead of 100% ownership by Dangote, it will have partners.
A prior Legit.ng report disclosed that the refinery will list 5-10% of its shares on the Nigerian stock exchange.
Source: UGC
With the new expansion plan, Dangote is seeking to put Nigeria and Africa on the global map as top destinations for refined petroleum products.
Dangote exposes truck drivers' salary
Legit.ng earlier reported that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has disclosed that truck drivers in his refinery earn more than many graduates in Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, September 15, 2025, he disclosed that the salaries range between N210,000 and N280,000 per month, which is three to four times Nigeria’s new minimum wage of N70,000.
He added that drivers with five years of accident-free records could also qualify for housing loans, making the role even more attractive.
Source: Legit.ng
