The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has received its second shipment of crude oil from Ghana, a move that comes as the plant reduces imports from Europe while preparing for scheduled maintenance. The latest shipment, carrying the Sankofa grade, arrived in November and joins primarily Nigerian crude grades in the refinery’s intake.

Between September and November, the refinery processed an average of 380,000 barrels of crude per day, about 30% lower than peak summer volumes. The reduction is linked to planned maintenance, including a two-month shutdown of the Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit beginning December 4 and a one-week outage of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) set for late January.

In November, crude supplies were dominated by Nigerian grades such as Bonny Light, Amenam, Forcados, Utapate, and Qua Iboe, with Ghana’s Sankofa grade as the only non-Nigerian cargo. Analysts say sourcing from nearby West African suppliers offers shorter transit times and greater flexibility during maintenance periods.

The reduced crude intake is expected to lower petrol production from recent levels of 100,000–130,000 barrels per day to around 80,000 barrels daily through February 2026. As a result, Nigeria’s petrol imports surged to about 300,000 barrels per day in November, the highest in more than a year, mostly from Europe.

Despite the maintenance adjustments, Dangote Industries Limited has assured Nigerians of continued fuel supply. The refinery plans to deliver 1.5 billion litres of petrol in both December 2025 and January 2026, maintaining nationwide availability during the festive season. Production is expected to rise to 1.7 billion litres in February, equivalent to roughly 60 million litres per day.

Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Industries, emphasized that these measures ensure steady petrol supply while the refinery carries out essential maintenance work.