The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has taken delivery of its second-ever crude cargo from Ghana, a move that coincides with a sharp reduction in its purchases from Europe as the plant adjusts its slate ahead of major maintenance.

Industry tracking data showed that the latest shipment, carrying Ghana’s Sankofa grade, arrived in November, the second time the refinery has sourced crude from the country.

The development reinforces expectations that Dangote will continue to prioritise West African and domestic grades as it stabilises operations and prepares key units for scheduled shutdowns.

According to a report by Kpler, crude arrivals into the refinery averaged around 380,000 barrels per day between September and November, about 30 per cent lower than the volumes purchased during the July–August peak.

“In November, Dangote’s crude receipts consisted almost exclusively of Nigerian grades, predominantly Bonny Light, followed by Amenam, Forcados, Utapate, and Qua Iboe. Notably, the second-ever cargo from Ghana arrived as well, carrying Sankofa. Looking ahead, we expect Dangote’s crude slate to remain primarily domestic, supplemented by smaller volumes from other West African producers or the United States,” Kpler said.

The decline, it was said, is linked to recurrent outages and extensive maintenance work, including a two-month shutdown of the Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit beginning December 4 and a one-week Crude Distillation Unit outage scheduled for late January.

As Dangote cuts intake, purchases from Europe, particularly from the North Sea and Mediterranean markets, have fallen sharply, making way for more Nigerian and regional West African grades.

“Crude imports into Nigeria’s Dangote refinery have fallen sharply from their highs over July and August. Arrivals averaged ~380 kbd over September–November, roughly 180 kbd (30 per cent) below volumes purchased during the summer. The lower intake reflects recurrent outages and major maintenance works planned over the next two months. The RFCC unit, which has struggled with regenerator-related issues and spent much of Q3 cycling between offline and online modes, is now scheduled for a major shutdown beginning 4 December and lasting ~2 months, with a restart planned for 1 February 2026,” the report stated.

The report shows that November receipts were dominated by Bonny Light, followed by Amenam, Forcados, Utapate, and Qua Iboe, while Sankofa formed the only non-Nigerian component of the slate.

The trend reflects both operational adjustments and the refinery’s growing reliance on nearby suppliers, which offer shorter voyage times and flexible scheduling during maintenance periods.

The shift comes as lower crude runs begin to ripple through Nigeria’s downstream market. With the RFCC set to remain offline until February, petrol output at the refinery is expected to fall toward 80,000 barrels per day—down from recent levels of 100,000–130,000 barrels per day—pushing Nigeria’s fuel import needs higher.

Nigeria’s petrol imports, driven largely by increased pull from Europe, nearly doubled in November to about 300,000 barrels per day, the highest in more than a year, according to Kpler.

“Nigeria’s petrol imports surge to 14-month highs in November. The shutdown of the CDU and RFCC units is expected to reduce Nigeria’s refinery runs from ~450 kbd in October to ~320–350 kbd, with throughput likely to remain in this range through December–February. A recovery should follow once maintenance concludes, with runs potentially exceeding 500 kbd by April 2026.

“Lower crude intake at Dangote naturally translates into lower product output, particularly petrol. Nigeria’s petrol demand has averaged ~300 kbd in recent months, with imports over Jan–Oct covering ~200 kbd of consumption. Dangote has been producing ~100–130 kbd of petrol in the past months, but this output is expected to drop toward ~80 kbd during December–February, when the RFCC is offline, and petrol production relies only on the Reformer and Isomer units.

“This tightening in domestic supply has already triggered higher overseas buying. In November, Nigeria’s petrol imports nearly doubled month-on-month to ~300 kbd—the highest inflow in 14 months. Volumes have originated mainly from Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Belgium. The sharp pull on European barrels could encourage refiners to lift crude runs during December to meet Nigeria’s incremental product demand,” the report added.

However, the Dangote refinery has assured Nigerians that it would supply 1.5 billion litres of petrol monthly to the Nigerian market in December 2025 and January 2026 to ensure uninterrupted nationwide fuel availability through the festive season and into the New Year.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, disclosed the plans recently, noting that the refinery will make available 50 million litres of PMS daily beginning December 1.

“In line with our commitment to national well-being, and consistent with our track record of ensuring a holiday season free of fuel scarcity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS to the Nigerian market this month. This represents 50 million litres per day. We are formally notifying the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of this commitment.

“We will supply another 1.5 billion litres in January and increase to 1.7 billion litres in February, which translates to about 60 million litres per day,” Dangote was quoted as saying.