Dangote Refinery sells 84,000 tons of fuel in March

Dangote oil refinery is back in the market, this time with fresh tenders to sell significant volumes of jet fuel and gasoil, a move that underscores how Africa’s biggest refinery is not merely running at full steam but actively hunting export business.

The refinery has issued tenders to sell gasoil and jet fuel in March, according to a trade source citing a tender document summary. Dangote is offering up to 44,000 metric tons of jet fuel for loading March 20 to 22, as well as at least 40,000 tons of gasoil with a maximum sulphur content of 50 parts per million for loading March 15 to 30.

The refinery did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Put together, the two tenders cover roughly 84,000 metric tons of refined products, a volume that, while modest by global trading standards, carries real weight in West Africa. With West Africa importing between 200,000 and 250,000 tons of gasoil monthly, Dangote’s tender alone could account for roughly 20% of that regional demand.

The tenders land at a moment when the refinery is running at peak output. Dangote’s gasoline supply to the local market recently reached 40.1 million litres, just over two-thirds of Nigeria’s daily requirement of 60 million litres. It also doubled its gasoil output to 10.9 million litres, more than half of its daily needs of 16 million litres.

The $20 billion-plus facility in Lagos’ Ibeju-Lekki area has spent the better part of its early life navigating ramp-up challenges. But the March export push reflects a refinery that has found its footing. Last year, it made a notable entrance into the United States market. Six vessels carrying around 1.7 million barrels of jet fuel from the refinery arrived at U.S. ports in March 2025, with analysts noting the shipments had the potential to lower jet fuel prices ahead of the peak summer travel season.

That run to the U.S. came partly because of timing. A maintenance-related shutdown at the Phillips 66 Bayway refinery in New Jersey helped open a rare arbitrage opportunity for flows from Nigeria to the U.S., though analysts noted the window was likely to close as U.S. inventories of aviation fuel remained elevated.

The export ambition now extends well beyond opportunistic arbitrage. In October 2025, Aliko Dangote announced plans to expand the refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, which would make it the largest refinery in the world based on current global capacities.

Gasoil, the cleaner form of diesel being offered in the March tender, powers trucks, generators and heavy industrial equipment across the continent. At 50 parts per million sulphur content, it meets standards required by most international buyers, broadening the pool of potential customers well beyond Nigeria’s borders.

Energy analysts say that if Dangote continues exporting large volumes of fuel, it could begin to pressure traditional suppliers, potentially forcing European and Asian refiners to reconsider production volumes and pricing strategies to stay competitive.

Nigeria, despite being one of Africa’s top crude oil producers, spent decades importing refined fuels because its state-owned refineries could not keep pace with domestic demand. Dangote’s refinery has been steadily reversing that reality, reshaping the country’s fuel trade balance and generating foreign exchange in the process.

The March tenders are yet another signal that Africa’s largest refinery is settling into its role not just as a supplier of last resort at home, but as a genuine participant in global fuel trading.