Dangote Refinery Appoints New CEO, David Bird, to Drive Growth, Resolve Output Woes

Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has named David Bird, former head of Oman’s Duqm refinery, as CEO of its fuels and petrochemicals business to tackle ongoing production setbacks and fast‑track expansion.

Aliko Dangote still remains chairman of the refining business and CEO of the broader Dangote Group, which spans cement, fertilizers and sugar refining.

Since commencing operations in January 2024, the 650,000-bpd refinery has faced unit upsets and design flaws, particularly at its residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC), which ran at just 85 % of capacity as of July 2025.

Dangote aims to increase capacity to 700,000 bpd by Q4 2025 through debottlenecking efforts and infrastructure upgrades.

With a track record at Duqm of feedstock diversification and start‑up efficiency, Bird will prioritise ramping output, stabilising operations, and refining logistics. He stated via LinkedIn that his focus is “maximising refinery output and operational efficiency while advancing the group’s footprint continent‑wide”.

Dangote plans to expand capacity, build port infrastructure, and deploy storage assets in Namibia and other countries. A 1.6-million-barrel storage hub is slated for Walvis Bay to serve southern African markets.

In August 2025, the company will launch its own distribution fleet of 4,000 CNG‑powered trucks.

The group’s $2 billion polypropylene plant, launched in March 2025 with an 830,000 mt annual capacity, is now tied to a global export deal with Vinmar Group.

Dangote also plans public listings for the refining business on both the London and Lagos stock exchanges as part of broader institutionalisation efforts.

With Dangote’s refinery representing nearly 67 % of Nigeria’s refining capacity and an anticipated leap in annual revenue (potentially up to US $30 billion), inefficiencies and supply constraints remain critical risks.

Dangote has been seeking additional funding and crude supply assurances, supplying from the US, Brazil, Libya, and Angola, to mitigate feedstock bottlenecks

Although full-year comparable data isn’t yet available, Dangote’s 2025 crude processing has climbed from approximately 360 kbd at end‑2023 to over 640 kbd by July 2025, a near 78 % increase in throughput year-on-year.

Subscribe to Notifications