Alike Dangote at Doha Forum 2025
Dangote: Big ambitions, harsh realities
Nigeria's mega-refinery is still trying to solve many challenges, all while its owner talks up expansion
The adage about learning to walk before you run rings true for Africa's largest refinery. Since its commercial startup in 2024, Nigeria’s Dangote facility has faced numerous challenges and has yet to operate at full capacity. The 650,000b/d refinery, recognised as Africa’s largest and the world’s largest single-train facility, has experienced recurring design-related malfunctions in its residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) since April 2025. Other issues include sourcing crude oil from state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Despite these problems, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual, has announced plans for a refinery expansion that, in its initial phase, wou
Also in this section
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
11 March 2026
De la Rey Venter, CEO of LNG player MidOcean Energy, discusses strategy, project developments and the prospects for the LNG market
