David Bird, the newly appointed head of the fuels division at Dangote Refinery, is steering Africa’s largest refinery through an ambitious expansion phase despite operational challenges. The 650,000 barrels per day facility, located in Lekki, Nigeria, aims to strengthen the country’s position in the global petroleum market.
Navigating Early Operational Setbacks
The refinery recently experienced downtime in its residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) unit, according to industry reports from S&P Global. This technical issue temporarily impacted output, but Bird says corrective measures are in place to restore full capacity.
Driving Expansion Across Africa
Under Bird’s leadership, the refinery is also exploring opportunities to increase exports of African crude grades such as Bonny Light and Forcados. These efforts align with Nigeria’s broader Decade of Gas strategy, which promotes energy diversification and local refining capacity.
Boosting Domestic Fuel Security
The refinery’s distribution network is being expanded with CNG-powered trucks, reducing dependency on imported fuel and cutting emissions. Industry analysts believe this could reshape the Nigerian downstream sector by improving efficiency and lowering costs.
Positioning Nigeria in Global Trade
Experts say the facility could help Nigeria capture a greater share of the African refining market, reducing reliance on European imports and supplying petroleum products to neighbouring countries. Bird maintains that strategic partnerships with both NNPC Limited and global traders will be key to achieving these goals.