Dangote eyes Cameroon fuel hub as Africa’s biggest refinery expands deeper into Central Africa

Dangote Group is looking to expand the regional footprint of Africa’s largest refinery by exploring the development of a petroleum products storage terminal in Cameroon, a move that could establish a new distribution hub for refined fuels across Central Africa.

• Dangote Group is considering a petroleum products storage terminal in Cameroon as it seeks to expand the regional reach of its Lekki refinery.
• The proposed project could strengthen Cameroon’s fuel security while creating a distribution hub for refined products across Central Africa.
• The move follows Dangote’s growing push into African fuel markets through supply agreements and export expansion.
• No investment decision or timeline has yet been announced. 

The proposal was presented to Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute during a meeting in Yaoundé on July 21 by Devakumar Edwin, Dangote Group’s Vice President for Oil, Gas and Fertiliser.

Edwin said the company is exploring a storage facility that could help build Cameroon’s strategic petroleum reserves while supporting the transportation of refined products through pipelines to lower logistics costs and improve supply security.

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Although discussions remain at an early stage, the proposal reflects Dangote’s broader ambition to transform its 650,000-barrel-per-day Lekki refinery from a facility serving Nigeria into a regional export platform supplying markets across Africa.

Since beginning commercial operations, the refinery has steadily increased exports of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other refined products to West African countries, while also expanding shipments to international markets, including Europe.

More recently, Dangote has intensified efforts to deepen its presence across the continent through supply partnerships and new logistics networks that can move fuel closer to customers.

Earlier this year, officials from Kenya visited the refinery to explore opportunities for direct fuel supplies, part of Nairobi’s efforts to diversify import sources and reduce reliance on international trading intermediaries.

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Tanzania has also held discussions with Dangote on petroleum supply as East African countries seek more competitive sources of refined products.

Those engagements underscore the refinery’s growing role in reshaping fuel trade within Africa.

A storage terminal in Cameroon would extend that strategy into Central Africa.

Rather than shipping individual cargoes directly from Lagos for every delivery, a terminal would allow Dangote to position fuel inventories closer to customers, reducing delivery times, lowering transport costs and improving supply reliability for neighbouring markets.

Cameroon also offers strategic access to landlocked countries including Chad and the Central African Republic, both of which depend heavily on Cameroonian transport corridors for imported petroleum products.

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The proposal comes as Cameroon seeks to strengthen its fuel storage infrastructure following years of supply challenges after the 2019 fire that severely damaged the country’s Sonara refinery.

The government is already pursuing major storage expansion projects in Kribi through the state-owned petroleum storage company, SCDP, and CSTAR Tank Farm Project Management, which together are expected to add hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of storage capacity.

Dangote has not disclosed where the proposed terminal would be located, how much it would cost or whether it would be developed independently or in partnership with Cameroonian state institutions.

The company is already a major industrial investor in Cameroon through its cement operations, and the latest proposal signals a broader effort to expand into the country’s downstream petroleum sector.

If approved, the project would mark another milestone in Dangote’s strategy of building an integrated African fuel supply network anchored by the Lekki refinery.

Beyond increasing exports from Nigeria, the strategy focuses on developing storage, logistics and distribution infrastructure that brings refined products closer to fast-growing markets across the continent.

The investment could strengthen fuel security and diversify supply sources for Cameroon and for Dangote, it would create another gateway for exports from one of the world’s largest single-train refineries while reinforcing its ambition to become a leading supplier of refined petroleum products across Africa.