Nigeria TV Info Report –

President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has expressed serious concerns over the escalating logistics costs and regulatory challenges undermining the operations and competitiveness of his multi-billion dollar refinery in Nigeria. In a recent disclosure, Dangote revealed that due to excessive port-related charges and other bureaucratic hurdles, it is now more expensive for oil marketers to load refined petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery located in Lekki, Lagos, than from offshore storage depots in neighbouring countries like Togo.

According to him, local marketers who patronize the $20 billion refinery are burdened by multiple charges at both loading and discharge points. These include fees from regulatory agencies, customs processes, and port authorities—costs that are largely absent when importing from offshore terminals such as the Lomé Floating Storage Terminal.

Dangote emphasized that this cost imbalance is discouraging domestic offtake and contributing to Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined products. He lamented that up to 69 per cent of refined petroleum products consumed in Africa are still imported, often from sources that supply low-quality, toxic fuel blends. He warned that many of these imported fuels do not meet international environmental or health standards and would be banned in regions like Europe or North America.

The business magnate urged relevant authorities to take urgent steps to eliminate unnecessary regulatory bottlenecks and incentivize local production, stressing that without reform, Africa will remain a dumping ground for substandard fuels.