Report: Dangote refinery ends Nigeria’s era as Africa’s largest fuel importer

Nigeria’s era as Africa’s largest fuel importer has ended following increased output from the Dangote refinery, according to Bloomberg.

Citing an energy consultancy firm in a report on Wednesday, Bloomberg said the title is now held by South Africa, where operational fuel production capacity has shrunk.

Elitsa Georgieva, executive director at CITAC, an energy consultancy, told the publication that Nigerian imports are dropping due to Dangote’s continued operation.

“Since the beginning of this year, South African imports have been consistently highest in sub-Saharan Africa,” she said.

According to Bloomberg, the shift illustrates the ambition of several African nations, including Uganda and Mozambique, to increase domestic refining capacity — “a difficult task even for Dangote whose $20 billion project went over budget and took longer than anticipated”.

“Still, traders including Glencore Plc and Vitol SA have found opportunities to supply fuel to South Africa where a number of refineries have shut since 2020,” Bloomberg said.

“South Africa imported 4.2 million tons of refined products in the first quarter of 2025, while Nigeria landed 3.1 million tons, according to CITAC.

“It estimates South Africa will import around 15.5 million tons this year, almost twice as much as Kenya with 8.9 million tons and Nigeria with 6.4 million.”

The publication said South Africa’s refining capacity has been reduced by half due to accidents and insufficient investment over the past five years.

Quoting state-owned logistics company, Transnet SOC Ltd, Bloomberg said imports now account for over 60 percent of the country’s fuel demand.

“The government last year bought the shuttered Sapref refinery from Shell Plc and BP Plc to try and grow domestic production again,” the publication reads.

“South Africa could draw even more fuel traders in the near-term as it seeks supply. Swiss commodities firm Gunvor was among companies shortlisted to buy Shell’s retail stations, people familiar with the matter said last month.”

After Nigeria officially began the naira-for-crude deal on October 1, 2024, Dangote began selling the product to its partners in naira.