Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery, the largest in Africa, has begun exporting gasoline to the United States, marking a major step in its global operations.
According to industry reports, the refinery’s first shipments were sold separately to Texas-based Sunoco and energy giant Shell. The move highlights the refinery’s ability to compete in international markets while also signaling a shift from focusing solely on Nigeria’s domestic supply needs.
For decades, Nigeria has faced the paradox of being a leading crude oil producer but heavily dependent on imported fuel due to a lack of refining capacity. The $20 billion Dangote Refinery, with a processing capacity of about 650,000 barrels per day, was designed to close that gap and strengthen the country’s energy independence.
By exporting refined products, the facility is also expected to boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and reposition the country as a supplier of high-quality fuels to global markets. Industry analysts note that meeting U.S. fuel standards for export demonstrates the refinery’s operational scale and technical sophistication.
The milestone signals not just progress for Dangote Group but also a turning point for Africa’s downstream oil sector, as the continent begins to capture more value from its natural resources.
