The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical is set to begin exporting fuel to South Africa, Angola, and Namibia, with negotiations also underway to supply Niger Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic. Sources indicate advanced talks with Ghana, which aims to reduce its monthly $400 million European fuel imports by sourcing from the refinery. This aligns with Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority’s push to streamline fuel costs and logistics for the country.
Despite the refinery’s 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, Nigerian fuel marketers, represented by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), are pushing for permission to import fuel independently, citing concerns over the refinery’s pricing. They argue that Dangote’s pricing is unsustainable for Nigerian consumers following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Marketers await approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to facilitate affordable petrol imports. However, NMDPRA has clarified that import licenses cannot be granted to associations collectively but must be obtained through individual applications.
As PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr. Joseph Obele, emphasized, the association seeks to offer competitive, high-quality alternatives to Dangote’s fuel, claiming the refinery’s approach limits market diversity and consumer choice. Obele urged Nigerians to support efforts to dismantle monopolies, advocating for a more open and competitive market to bring relief amid rising fuel costs.
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