By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
REFINERY OPERATIONS at Dangote Group have entered a new phase with the appointment of David Bird, former Shell and OQ8 executive, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, the company announced on its X handle.
The company also confirmed the leadership change, which took effect from July 2025, as part of its broader strategy to navigate operational headwinds and expand its industrial footprint across Africa.
The appointment was first reported by S&P Global on Friday as the groups said it marks a pivotal shift in Dangote’s downstream leadership, aligning with the conglomerate’s aim to position its 650,000 barrels per day refinery as a continental energy hub.
Bird had previously served as CEO of Oman’s Duqm refinery and held senior roles at Shell, including vice-president of Prelude FLNG and head of operations at Pulau Bukom in Singapore.
Dangote Industries Limited, chaired by Aliko Dangote, stated that the appointment will support its ambition to drive operational efficiency and accelerate output across all production lines.
Bird’s focus, according to his written comments to Platts, will be to lead the business toward maximum utilisation while deepening market access beyond Nigeria.
Moreover, operational challenges have defined the early months of the refinery’s scale-up, with Dangote citing “design issues” and unstable trade conditions as factors affecting performance.
Though the facility began test runs of its residue fluid catalytic cracker in Q3 2024, several outages have hindered consistent gasoline output, the company said.
By July 2025, the RFCC was operating at 85%, according to a company executive, who denied claims of a planned December turnaround.
Despite technical setbacks, the refinery has continued to export petroleum products, largely dominating Nigeria’s downstream supply chain.
July 2025 export figures from S&P Global Commodities at Sea show the complex shipped 220,000 barrels per day, including jet fuel (45% of volumes), gasoil (24%), and 30,000 b/d of residual fuel.
The facility, inaugurated in May 2023 by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, launched diesel and aviation fuel production in January 2024, followed by petrol output in September 2024.
It has since partnered with Premier Product Marketing LLC to export polypropylene to international markets, as noted by the group.
To support growing fuel distribution, the refinery said it plans to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks beginning 15 August 2025.
Meanwhile, Dangote Group said it is progressing plans to expand refining capacity to 700,000 b/d, develop international storage infrastructure, and list the business on both the London and Lagos stock exchanges.
Aliko Dangote also reaffirmed the group’s IPO intentions on 22 July.
Under a naira-based trade agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, a 7.2% stakeholder in the venture, according to the company, the refinery remains committed to supplying fixed volumes of oil products to the domestic market.
The group adds that with David Bird at the helm, the company is expected to leverage his experience in global refining to stabilise operations, optimise output, and solidify the refinery’s role in Africa’s energy supply chain.
