The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) have agreed to deepen collaboration in a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s energy security and accelerating industrial development.
The renewed commitment was announced during a high-level visit by NNPC Ltd.’s leadership to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, where both organisations pledged to put past challenges behind them and focus on operational efficiency and national interest.
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, described the alliance as pivotal to the refinery’s founding vision and critical to driving industrialisation across Africa.
He commended the new leadership of NNPC Ltd. for what he termed a proactive and forward-looking approach.
According to Dangote, the partnership has the potential to transform not only Nigeria’s energy landscape but also the broader African market.
He noted that NNPC Ltd. currently holds a 7.25 per cent equity stake in the refinery on behalf of Nigerians and advocated for deeper collaboration within existing industrial assets rather than duplicating infrastructure.
Dangote also unveiled expansion plans for the refinery, describing it as a fully integrated industrial hub. He disclosed that the complex is developing a 400,000-metric-tonne Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) facility, projected to exceed Africa’s current production capacity.
Dangote stressed that future growth in refining lies in high-value petrochemicals, which generate greater economic returns than fuel production alone.
He added that prioritising domestic processing over the export of raw materials would enhance foreign exchange earnings and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base.
On his part, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Bayo Ojulari, affirmed the company’s commitment to transparency and a results-driven partnership, signalling a shift from what he described as an unproductive past.
Ojulari said both organisations would assess current operations, identify new opportunities, and develop a joint working framework to guide implementation.
He praised the refinery’s operational performance, noting that the facility had surpassed its 650,000 barrels-per-day nameplate capacity.
During the tour, the plant was observed operating at 661,000 barrels per day, a figure Ojulari described as a significant achievement and a demonstration of the refinery’s technological capacity.
He characterised Dangote Group and NNPC Ltd. as “strategically significant national champions” capable of redefining Nigeria’s energy security and industrial trajectory through sustained collaboration.
Both parties agreed to identify priority areas of cooperation in the coming weeks and formalise a structured implementation framework, a move seen as a major step toward securing Nigeria’s long-term energy and economic future.
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