In a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s energy independence, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have agreed on a strategic partnership aimed at transforming the nation’s energy sector and accelerating industrial growth.
The commitment was made during a high-level visit by NNPC Ltd.’s leadership to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, where both parties pledged to move beyond past challenges and pursue operational excellence for national development.
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, described the renewed collaboration as vital to the refinery’s founding vision and a catalyst for Africa’s industrial advancement. He praised the new leadership of NNPC Ltd. for embracing a cooperative approach, noting that the alliance could reshape energy markets across the continent.
Dangote revealed that NNPC Ltd. currently holds a 7.25 percent equity stake in the refinery on behalf of Nigerians and emphasized that deeper cooperation within the existing industrial complex would deliver greater national value than duplicating infrastructure.
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He also outlined expansion plans to transform the facility into a fully integrated industrial hub, including the development of a 400,000 metric tonne Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) plant—projected to exceed Africa’s current production capacity. According to him, focusing on petrochemicals alongside fuel refining will significantly boost economic returns and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base.
Speaking for NNPC Ltd., Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Bayo Ojulari reaffirmed the company’s commitment to transparency and productive collaboration, stating that the organization is determined to leave behind what he described as an “unproductive past.”
Ojulari commended the refinery’s performance, noting that it has surpassed its installed capacity. During the visit, the facility was observed operating at about 661,000 barrels per day, exceeding its 650,000 barrels-per-day nameplate capacity.
He described both the Dangote Group and NNPC Ltd. as strategic national assets capable of redefining Nigeria’s energy security and driving large-scale industrialization.
Both organisations agreed to identify priority areas for cooperation and develop a structured implementation framework in the coming weeks, a move seen by analysts as potentially pivotal to Nigeria’s economic future and Africa’s broader industrial transformation.
