News Report – July 23, 2025
Africa is losing approximately $90 billion annually due to the continuous importation of substandard petroleum products, according to Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Limited.
Dangote made this revelation while addressing stakeholders at a recent industry forum, where he emphasized the economic and environmental costs of depending on poor-quality fuel imports from abroad. He noted that substandard fuel not only damages vehicles and infrastructure but also undermines public health and regional energy security.
Highlighting the continent’s refining gaps, Dangote described the situation as both economically wasteful and structurally dangerous. “It is unacceptable that a continent so rich in crude oil resources is still a dumping ground for harmful and subpar fuel products,” he stated.
He reiterated the critical role of the newly operational Dangote Refinery in reversing this trend by providing cleaner, high-quality petroleum products refined locally. According to him, the refinery is positioned to reduce reliance on imports and save Africa billions in foreign exchange annually.
Dangote further called on African governments to enforce stricter fuel quality standards, invest in local refining capacity, and adopt a continental strategy to eliminate the influx of hazardous petroleum products into African markets.
The $19 billion Dangote Refinery, situated in Lagos, is designed to process up to 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is expected to meet Nigeria’s entire fuel demand while supplying other African nations, offering a sustainable solution to the continent’s decades-old dependence on imported fuel.
