Under the leadership of David Bird, appointed as the standalone CEO in July 2025, the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery is aggressively expanding its operational capacity. As of January 2026, the facility continues to serve as Africa’s largest single-train petroleum complex and is moving toward significant new milestones:
The refinery reached a production level of 610,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August 2025 and is scaling to its full nameplate capacity of 650,000 bpd.
A strategic upgrade is underway to increase output to 700,000 bpd by late 2025 or early 2026.
Bird has announced a massive expansion plan to reach 1.4 million bpd within three years, utilizing a “ruthless replication” strategy that duplicates existing plant designs to avoid costly redesigns.
The refinery has already begun transforming regional fuel trade, supplying over 50 million liters of petrol daily as of January 2026 and significantly reducing West Africa’s reliance on European fuel imports.
Preparations are leading toward a landmark Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) planned for 2026, intended to broaden ownership to include everyday Nigerians.
Note by Alessandro Bazzoni