Why Nigeria's Dangote Refinery Just Bought UAE Crude | Firstpost Africa | N18G

Nigeria's Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa's largest oil refinery, has made a historic first by importing crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (2 million barrels from ADNOC in June), marking a permanent strategic shift from its traditional reliance on African and American crude. This decision stems from two key factors: global easing of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz following a US-Iran peace memorandum, which improved Gulf crude availability, and persistent domestic supply shortages in Nigeria where the state-owned NNPC fails to meet its 13-15 monthly crude cargo commitments to Dangote. The refinery, currently processing 650,000 barrels per day with plans to expand to 1.4 million barrels by 2028, is also strategically blending heavier West Asian crude grades with lighter Nigerian crude to maximize yields of profitable diesel and jet fuel, transforming it into a fully merchant global player despite Nigeria's stated goal of refining its own domestic oil.