Dangote Refinery Rejects Togo Fuel Re-Import Claims, Calls Allegations Misleading
Nigeria’s largest refinery, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, has strongly denied reports suggesting that fuel exported from its facilities is being re-imported into Nigeria through the Lomé trading hub in Togo. The company described the claims as misleading and unsupported by facts, insisting that such a practice would go against its mission of strengthening local fuel supply and reducing the nation’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
The refinery’s management stated that all export agreements and sales contracts contain strict provisions that prohibit the resale or re-importation of its products into Nigeria. According to the company, allowing imported fuel to compete directly with locally refined products would undermine the very purpose of the multi-billion-dollar refinery, which was established to boost domestic refining capacity and support Nigeria’s energy security.
Dangote Refinery also argued that the alleged trade route makes little economic sense. It explained that transporting petroleum products from its facility to Lomé and then back into Nigeria would add significant logistics, storage, financing, and handling costs estimated at between $82 and $90 per metric tonne. These additional expenses, the refinery noted, would make such transactions commercially unattractive and difficult to sustain in a competitive market.
The company further revealed that it operates comprehensive product-tracking systems that monitor cargo movements from loading points to final destinations. Through detailed records of vessels, buyers, and delivery locations, the refinery says it maintains full visibility across its supply chain. Management maintained that any suggestion that it knowingly permits or facilitates fuel re-importation is inconsistent with its compliance standards and contractual safeguards.
The response follows comments made by S&P Global Energy official Matthew Tracey-Cook during a webinar organised by the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, where he claimed that a significant share of fuel imported into Nigeria between March and May originated from Dangote refinery exports routed through Lomé. While the refinery has firmly rejected the allegation, the debate has reignited discussions about fuel pricing, importation practices, and the ongoing legal battle by Dangote Refinery to restrict petroleum product imports into Nigeria.
source: punch