Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote's refinery sends first petrol cargo to U.S.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, a $20-billion refinery owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, has sent its first gasoline shipment to the United States. This is a milestone for Nigeria’s oil industry and a signal of its growing presence in global fuel markets.

The shipment of about 300,000 barrels left the refinery’s jetty near Lagos on Aug. 26 aboard the vessel Gemini Pearl, according to shipping data from Kpler and industry sources. It is headed for the U.S. East Coast and expected to discharge in New York or New Jersey. This is the first time Nigeria has exported gasoline directly to America, a sharp contrast with the past when it sold crude to U.S. refiners but relied on imports to cover its own fuel needs.

Dangote refinery expands beyond Africa

The 650,000-barrel-a-day refinery is gradually reshaping that dependence. Since June, it has sent cargoes to the Middle East and Asia, proving it can compete in markets well beyond Africa. Traders said Vitol, one of the world’s biggest independent commodity houses, may have chartered the tanker for the U.S. delivery, though this has not been confirmed.

The U.S.-bound cargo comes at a time when fuel inventories on the Atlantic Coast are tightening and prices are climbing, creating opportunities for overseas suppliers. The refinery has also boosted exports of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel, helping to plug gaps left by refinery outages in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. That has made Middle Eastern buyers, who once rarely looked to Nigeria for refined products, turn increasingly to Dangote’s plant.

Saudi Aramco’s 400,000-barrel-a-day Jizan refinery is offline, and its 460,000-barrel-a-day Satorp facility in Jubail is due for maintenance later this year. Kuwait will shut its Mina Abdullah plant in October. These closures have lifted regional imports to their highest level in seven months. Nigeria has stepped in to supply gasoline during this tight period, offering an alternative source as European Union sanctions limit exports from India’s Nayara Energy.

Dangote refocuses on 0il, fertilizer

For Dangote himself, the refinery has become a central focus. Having recently stepped down as chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, he is devoting more time to oil refining and fertilizers as part of his push to reduce Africa’s reliance on imports.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest crude producer, the refinery’s rise as a fuel exporter marks a turning point. After decades of sending crude abroad and spending heavily on gasoline imports, the country can now meet domestic demand, reduce reliance on regional suppliers, and reach new international markets.

Dangote, whose fortune is valued at $28.7 billion, describes the project as a step toward African energy independence. Its location on the Atlantic seaboard gives it unusual flexibility to ship both east and west. While the first U.S. cargo won’t reshape the American market overnight, it has opened a new supply link across the Atlantic — one that did not exist before.