The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex is preparing to commence fuel exports to South Africa, Angola, and Namibia, according to exclusive information obtained by Saturday PUNCH.
A trusted source revealed to one of our correspondents on Friday that the refinery’s management, with its 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, is in the final stages of discussions with these countries to initiate fuel shipments.
Additionally, it was learned that four other African nations—Niger Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic—have also entered negotiations with the refinery.
More countries are expected to express interest in sourcing fuel from the facility in the coming months.
Ghana recently indicated its interest in purchasing fuel from the $20 billion Lekki-based refinery.
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Chairman of Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority, noted that this partnership with the Dangote refinery could replace Ghana’s $400 million monthly fuel imports from Europe.
When questioned on why marketers are insisting on not buying from Dangote despite the refinery’s capacity, the source said the dealers had hidden agenda.
“However, between now and January 2025, their plan would be exposed. Dangote refinery remains the hope of this country for a sustainable supply of petrol and the refinery has the capacity to serve the entire country,” the source added.
READ ALSO: Any Imported Petrol Cheaper Than Dangote Refinery’s Product is Substandard, Says Management
In response to high local fuel prices, Nigerian marketers have decided to pursue fuel imports from outside the country.
Last week, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) advocated for fuel importation, accusing the Dangote refinery of pricing fuel excessively.
These marketers are now awaiting approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to import lower-cost petrol.
They believe that bringing in more affordable fuel will help ease the burden on consumers, who are still adjusting to recent price hikes after the removal of the fuel subsidy.
To move forward, the marketers have requested foreign exchange access from the CBN and permits from the NMDPRA to meet regulatory and quality standards.
However, the NMDPRA has denied claims that IPMAN and PETROAN can obtain import licenses as associations.
An NMDPRA official, speaking anonymously due to the issue’s sensitivity, clarified that only individual marketers—not associations—are permitted to apply for import licenses, as required by law.
“The truth of the matter is that they can’t apply for petrol import licence as a body or association. Individual marketers have to apply by themselves before they can be granted that licence. They have to apply by themselves. We are not going to give the permit jointly so they can’t apply as an association.
“So, this also means that if individual marketers don’t apply for it, we can’t approve it.”
The National Public Relations Officer of PETROAN, Dr. Joseph Obele, stated that the association submitted its application for an import license roughly a month ago via its newly established trading division.
He characterized Dangote as an “aggressive competitor,” asserting that he would take extensive measures to dominate the market.
“You should know that Dangote is just out to close all the doors and windows so that no person enters the market. He is determined to ensure that nobody enters the market as a competitor. We assure Nigerians that as soon as the regulatory agency approves our authority to import, this price of PMS that is causing pain to Nigerians right now will crash to the barest minimum.
“The product we are planning to import is one of the best products so far, far better than his (Dangote) own, but he is just telling Nigerians that any product that is coming into the country is not better than his own.
“We call on Nigerians to support the call for dismantling monopolies so that we can liberate the market; otherwise, we will remain in the trap we are. We are trapped at the moment; we are trapped with exploitation and the only way out of the trap is to dismantle every dimension of monopoly and we are calling on Nigerians to support us,” Obele said.
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