Dangote signs fuel supply deal with Cameroon, expands African market
- Dangote Group signed a petroleum supply agreement with Cameroon's state-owned refiner, SONARA, with MRS also involved in the partnership
- Cameroon has depended entirely on imported fuel since a 2019 explosion damaged its only refinery
- Botswana is also in talks with Dangote over a separate fuel supply deal as the group targets broader African markets
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Dangote Group has reached a petroleum supply agreement with Cameroon's state-owned oil company, Société Nationale de Raffinage (SONARA), in a move that adds Central Africa to the Nigerian conglomerate's growing list of continental fuel markets.
SONARA announced the deal in a statement, confirming that the partnership also involves MRS and is designed to give Cameroon more reliable access to refined petroleum products.
Source: Getty Images
The company said the arrangement would reduce the country's vulnerability to disruptions in international fuel supply chains, particularly given rising oil prices and instability linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
Cameroon has not had a functioning local refinery since 2019, when an explosion severely damaged the SONARA facility, leaving the country fully dependent on imported fuel to meet domestic energy needs, BusinessDay reports.
Financial terms, delivery volumes and a start date for supply were not disclosed. SONARA also said a ceremony planned to formally launch the partnership had been postponed due to a scheduling conflict involving Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, with a new date to be confirmed later.
Dangote eyes wider African fuel markets
The Cameroon deal is part of a broader push by Dangote to turn its Lagos-based refinery into a key petroleum supplier across Africa.
Botswana has separately confirmed it is in discussions with Dangote Group about a possible fuel supply agreement. Bogolo Kenewendo, Botswana's minister of minerals and energy, told Bloomberg that the country was also negotiating with Angola and Côte d'Ivoire to protect itself from fuel shortages.
"Because we are clear that we never want to have any fuel insecurity, we've engaged Dangote, we've engaged Angola, we've engaged Cote d'Ivoire to ensure that they can supply us," Kenewendo said.
Botswana, a landlocked country that imports all its refined petroleum, is also exploring alternative supply routes through Mozambique and Namibia to reduce its reliance on existing distribution corridors.
Beyond supply deals, Dangote has outlined plans to invest more than $3.5 billion in a proposed 2,650-kilometre pipeline network linking Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, with the aim of improving petroleum access in landlocked markets across Southern Africa, Punch reports.
Source: Getty Images
Refinery export volumes on the rise
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that the Dangote refinery's combined exports rose to 54.63 million litres per day in September 2026, up from 39.78 million litres per day in August, a jump of 37.33% within a single month.
The increase in export volumes, alongside the fuel supply discussions with Cameroon and Botswana, reflects the refinery's growing ambition to serve African governments seeking alternatives to traditional international petroleum suppliers.
Depots announce new petrol prices
Earlier, Legit.ng Oil marketers have slashed petrol prices across major depots in Nigeria following Dangote Petroleum Refinery's latest N50 per litre reduction in the ex-depot price of petrol, intensifying competition in the downstream petroleum market.
The latest price adjustments come after Dangote Refinery reduced its gantry price to N1,075 per litre from N1,125, marking its fourth petrol price cut within one month.
Source: Legit.ng
