Dangote refinery receives second Ghana crude shipment

Dangote Petroleum Refinery owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, has received its second crude shipment from Ghana, marking another step in its effort to lean more on West African supply as it prepares for maintenance work. The latest cargo, carrying Ghana’s Sankofa grade, arrived in November and comes as the refinery sharply reduces purchases from Europe.

Data from Kpler shows crude deliveries to the plant averaged about 380,000 barrels a day between September and November—30 percent lower than volumes recorded during the July–August peak. Most of November’s receipts were Nigerian grades, including Bonny Light, Amenam, Forcados, Utapate and Qua Iboe, with Sankofa as the only non-Nigerian component. 

Maintenance drives lower runs 

The slowdown in crude intake reflects recurring outages and extensive repairs. The Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit, which struggled through the third quarter, began a two-month shutdown on Dec. 4. A one-week outage on the Crude Distillation Unit is scheduled for late January. 

With these units offline, crude purchases from the North Sea and Mediterranean have fallen sharply. Traders say the refinery is relying more on closer suppliers to shorten voyage times and keep scheduling flexible during the maintenance period. 

Lower runs are already rippling through Nigeria’s downstream market. Petrol output at the refinery is expected to ease toward 80,000 barrels a day—down from recent levels of 100,000 to 130,000 barrels a day. As a result, Nigeria’s fuel imports, sourced mainly from Europe, almost doubled in November to around 300,000 barrels a day, the highest in more than a year.

Rising domestic demand

Kpler notes Nigeria’s petrol demand has averaged close to 300,000 barrels a day in recent months, with imports covering most of that need. Output from Dangote is expected to stay soft through February, when petrol production will depend mainly on the Reformer and Isomer units until the RFCC returns. 

Despite the disruptions, the plant will supply 1.5 billion litres of petrol to the Nigerian market in December 2025 and January 2026 to ensure steady nationwide availability during the festive period. Executive Chairman Aliko Dangote said the refinery would make 50 million liters available daily starting December 1, rising to about 60 million liters per day in February. 

Growing capacity

The refinery, which began operations in 2024 at 350,000 barrels per day, now processes about 650,000 barrels daily. Capacity is expected to reach 700,000 barrels by late 2025. The refinery recently cut petrol prices by 5.6% ahead of the holidays and is planning U.S.-dollar dividend payments for local shareholders once the $20 billion plant is listed.