The Dangote Refinery has announced the expansion of the facility from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million bpd.

The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, made the announcement at a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday.

Flanked by his friend, the Chairman of First Bank, Mr Femi Otedola, Dangote said this would make the refinery the largest in the world.

According to him, the construction work for the expansion is expected to begin without further delay.

“We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day.

“Upon completion, this will make it the largest refinery in the world, surpassing the Jamnagar Refinery in India,” he said.

He added that 65,000 workers would be needed for the construction exercise, and 85 per cent would be Nigerians.

Dangote added that the refinery would also ramp up its power generation from 500MW to 1,000 MW.

He also stated that the refinery would produce Euro 6 standard, up from the current Euro 5 spec.

Dangote noted that the refinery would be listed on the stock exchange in 2026, giving Nigerians the opportunity to be shareholders.

The billionaire businessman appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his support.

“The expansion is expected to be completed in three years”, he said.

Dangote also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its continued support, citing key policy interventions such as the Nigeria First Policy, the Naira-for-Crude Policy, and the One-Stop Shop Initiative, which he said have transformed the downstream oil sector and encouraged private investments in local refining.

He also commended government mediation efforts in resolving recent disruptions at the refinery caused by union activities and sabotage attempts, describing the intervention as “decisive and confidence-restoring.”

The business mogul revealed that the expansion project would generate about 65,000 jobs during the construction phase and open new opportunities for local industries.

In addition to refining crude oil, the project will boost polypropylene production from 900,000 metric tonnes to 2.4 million metric tonnes per annum, alongside the production of base oils and linear alkylbenzene, a key ingredient for detergents.

Addressing concerns over potential fuel shortages during the year-end festive period, Dangote assured Nigerians of an uninterrupted petrol supply despite recent fluctuations in global oil prices.

He said the refinery was fully prepared to maintain consistent product flow and stable prices throughout the ember months.

“For the first time in many years, Nigerians can look forward to a festive season free of fuel anxiety,” he assured.