Nigeria’s Dangote refinery ends aviation fuel imports

Aliko Dangote’s $20 billion Dangote refinery, with a capacity of about 650,000 barrels per day, is reshaping Nigeria’s fuel sector. After years of costly imports and under‑performing state refineries, the new world‑scale plant has helped the country achieve self‑sufficiency in aviation fuel. Official data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority show that from June 2025 to June 2026, no aviation turbine kerosene was imported; domestic refineries supplied the entire market, with daily receipts peaking at 14 million litres in December.

The shift highlights a broader economic debate: Nigeria, one of the world’s largest crude producers, has historically exported crude and imported refined products. The emergence of the Dangote refinery is cited as a turning point toward producing what the nation consumes, reducing foreign‑exchange outflows and creating jobs in the process.