The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced the export of refined petroleum products to neighboring West African countries, marking a potential shift in regional fuel markets.
According to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, citing data from Vortexa, Kpler, Precise Intelligence, a port report, and ship-tracking platforms, a tanker has transported a shipment of gasoline from the refinery to waters off the coast of Togo.
The report revealed that the vessel, CL Jane Austen, recently loaded over 300,000 barrels of gasoline from the refinery and sailed westward.
Last month, the Chairman of Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, disclosed that Ghana is considering purchasing petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery. Speaking at the OTL Africa Downstream Oil Conference in Lagos, Abdul-Hamid stated that such imports could reduce Ghana’s reliance on expensive European fuel, which costs the country approximately $400 million monthly.
He explained that sourcing fuel from Nigeria instead of Europe could significantly cut freight costs, ultimately lowering the prices of goods and services.
“If the refinery reaches its 650,000 barrels per day capacity, all that volume cannot be consumed by Nigeria alone. So, instead of us importing from Rotterdam, it will be much easier for us to import from Nigeria, which I believe will bring down our prices,” Abdul-Hamid noted.
The export marks a significant milestone in the refinery’s operations and signals its growing influence on the West African energy market.
