One-Third of Dangote Refinery’s Crude Now Sourced from the U.S. – Report
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| One-Third of Dangote Refinery’s Crude Now Sourced from the U.S. – Report |
Africa’s largest refinery, the Dangote Refinery, which ranks among the top crude processing facilities globally, boasts an installed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.
Owned by Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, whose net worth is estimated at $28 billion, the refinery has increasingly turned to the U.S. for crude supply. Data from Bloomberg's ship-tracking reveals that nearly one-third of the crude oil processed at the facility now comes from the United States, primarily the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland grade.
This share has almost doubled since 2024, the year the refinery began scaling up operations.
Industry analysts, citing Bloomberg, point to both strategic and operational reasons for this shift. OPEC nations are struggling to boost supply economically due to fierce global competition, giving the refinery a chance to source stored U.S. crude more easily as it nears full production.
Another major factor is the WTI crude’s superior yield of gasoline and other refined products. Additionally, with Asian demand for WTI dropping amid ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, more American crude has become available for West African buyers.
The rising import of U.S. oil also reflects the dwindling supply of Nigerian crude. Bloomberg estimates that U.S. crude will represent an even greater share of Dangote’s imports in June, overtaking domestic supply.
Fuel production at the refinery began in 2024—diesel and naphtha in January, followed by gasoline in September. The growing reliance on U.S. crude supports the refinery’s drive toward full-scale processing, despite reduced availability of local Nigerian crude.
The facility aims to hit its maximum daily capacity of 650,000 barrels by June, though limited domestic crude continues to challenge this target.
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