By Son Tertsea, Abuja

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has emerged the world’s largest supplier of jet fuel in April according to sea data, S&P Global Commodities, has reported.

The disruptions to global fuel supply chains caused by conflict in the Middle East and uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz made this possible.

According to Refinery executives, the company is expanding beyond domestic fuel production into international crude and refined products trading.

The development highlights Nigeria’s growing role in global energy markets as Dangote pursues plans to double production capacity and expand across Africa.

Turkish Airlines
Yet that is precisely what happened in April 2026, when Dangote Petroleum Refinery became the world’s largest exporter of jet fuel, according to data cited by S&P Global Commodities at Sea.

The milestone underscores the growing influence of Africa’s largest refinery in global fuel markets and highlights how geopolitical disruptions are reshaping long-established trade routes across the energy sector.

S&P Global Energy’s recent report indicate that Dangote Refinery Chief Executive Officer David Bird revealed how the company has shifted operations into what he calls “max jet mode” after conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States disrupted fuel flows through the Middle East.

“After the Middle East war began, Dangote shifted to ‘max jet mode,’ and in April it became the world’s single largest exporter of aviation fuel,” the report added, citing S&P Global Commodities at Sea data.

The achievement comes as the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery reaches full production capacity following a gradual ramp-up period. The facility has maintained near-peak output while using a flexible blending system that incorporates feedstocks such as gas-to-liquids naphtha and Bonny condensate to maximise fuel production.

The refinery’s rise coincided with growing uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and fuel supplies pass. Threats to maritime movement in the region tightened fuel supply chains and pushed aviation fuel buyers to seek alternative suppliers outside the Middle East.

That shift created an opportunity for Dangote Refinery, which rapidly increased jet fuel exports as global demand for non-Middle Eastern supply sources grew.

But executives say the refinery’s ambitions extend far beyond benefiting from temporary market disruptions.

Dangote’s Global Trading Ambition

Bird revealed that the company is increasingly positioning itself as an international trading hub rather than as a refinery primarily focused on domestic fuel supply. The strategy involves actively trading both crude oil and refined products across global markets while expanding the range of crude grades the facility can process.

The refinery can currently handle around 40 different crude oil grades and plans to increase that number over time. Bird said the long-term goal is to approach the flexibility of major international refining centres such as Singapore’s Pulau Bukom refinery, which processes more than 100 crude varieties.

To support that vision, Dangote Refinery is exploring long-term supply and offtake agreements with governments, airlines and national oil companies. The company is also investing in regional infrastructure projects, including proposed storage facilities in Namibia, logistics investments across Central and East Africa, and pipeline discussions in Zambia.

Bird added, the refinery ultimately aims to increase production capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, a target that would require sourcing crude from regions including the United States, the Middle East and South America.

The refinery’s growing global role has also had implications at home.

Earlier this year, rising aviation fuel costs placed pressure on Nigerian airlines, prompting government intervention through benchmark pricing guidance and temporary credit support measures.

To alleviate the situation, Dangote Refinery reduced its ex-depot Jet A1 price from N1,750 to N1,650 per litre and introduced a 30-day interest-free credit facility for marketers and airline operators.

The company also patriotically shifted aviation fuel sales from dollar-denominated transactions to naira pricing, a move designed to improve domestic supply stability and reduce foreign exchange pressures on airline operators

–To be largest world fertilizer producer in 2 years

Aliko Dangote has revealed plans for a 20,000MW power project, signalling a major expansion of his industrial footprint beyond oil refining, cement, and fertiliser.

He disclosed this in an interview with Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation.
“We are now going into power—20,000 megawatts,” he said, adding that Africa’s most pressing needs remain energy, fertilisers, and industrial inputs.

“And the needs of Africa are petroleum products, fertilisers,” Dangote said. “Today, in about two and a half years, we will be the largest fertiliser company in the world.

We are putting up 12 million tons of urea. We are opening up mines of potash and phosphate in Congo and Brazil. We are building the biggest deep-sea port with an 18-meter draft. We are doing LNG.”

He added that the expansion is being driven by stronger cash flows and increased financial flexibility. “We are now actually free of assets, and we can actually raise more money. Our cash flow now is very, very strong,” he said.

Dangote did not provide details on financing or timelines for the power project, but a 20,000MW addition would significantly reshape Nigeria’s struggling electricity sector. The country currently has an installed generation capacity of about 13,000MW, much of which is not consistently available due to infrastructure challenges.

The announcement comes alongside the rapid expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, a $20 billion facility with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, currently being scaled up toward 1.4 million barrels per day.

The refinery has already improved Nigeria’s fuel supply situation and boosted regional availability, particularly during recent global disruptions linked to Middle East tensions.
Dangote also linked his investments to a broader vision for Africa’s industrial self-sufficiency. “We will open Africa by demonstrating that we believe in Africa, by investing our money in Africa,” he said. “Because if I don’t invest my own money, I can never go to any conference and convince people that Africa is a good place to come and invest. But right now, I have a voice… I have demonstrated that these things are possible,” he said.

By Aliyu Musa

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has confirmed that national crude oil production has grown from a historic low of 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day and a peak production of 1.84 million barrels per day in 2025, owing to the establishment of the integrated energy security for pipelines in the Niger Delta.

Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made the disclosure at the Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security which held at the National Assembly, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Speaking on the success of the security arrangement, Ojulari explained that it was not accidental, and that it involved an “integrated energy security model that combines legislative and executive policy alignment, actionable intelligence, kinetic deployment capabilities, regulatory oversight, industry cooperation, and community‑embedded surveillance mechanisms”.

He said the resurgence of production due to the effective tackling of the twin menace of oil theft and pervasive pipeline sabotage has led to the restoration of investors’ confidence in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

In his welcome address, the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, called for collaboration among agencies and stakeholders in resolving all challenges impeding production growth.

On his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was represented by the Leader of the House, Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere, urged the forum to evaluate the progress made so far with a view to ensuring fairness and equity.

The Parliamentary Roundtable on the State of Pipelines Security was convened by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources. It had in attendance the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, and representatives of oil industry regulatory agencies.

The Roundtable also featured presentations by the Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director General of the Department of State Services, Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and private security companies.