Apart from the sharp rise in Nigerian output, the broad outline of the continent’s crude oil refining landscape has not changed in the last 12 months.
Algeria remains the steadiest and most reliable refining jurisdiction in the region, though its output volume has remained flat, Year on-Year.
Angola’s functional capacity has not moved a needle, despite the cheery inauguration of the Cabinda plant in September 2025.
Côte d’Ivoire’s sole refining plant has been a durable, if minor, contributor to the Africa’s refining capacity, working currently to expand its crude distillation unit by 20% and install a new reformer to improve gasoline production. It’s a middling ambition.
Egypt has significant capacity, but it struggles to keep its production at optimum.
Ghana has not made a dent in the market, either with the commissioning of the privately owned Sentuo Refinery or the revamping of the state operated Tema Oil Refinery. Both are small, and neither is delivering anywhere at full capacity.
Everyone waits for a Final Investment Decision on the long proposed plant in Uganda.
South Africa’s refining sector has turned around to settle for investment in Clean Fuels, but the prospect of an impactful increase in input-output is dim for the foreseeable future.
Back in Nigeria, Aliko Dangote sees the shortfall in overall African refining capacity as a huge opportunity. Delays in Uganda; an infinitesimal improvement in Côte d’Ivoire; challenges in Egypt and rabid cluelessness in South Africa are signals for him to take responsibility to double the 650,000Barrels Per Stream Day plant to 1.4Million BPSD by 2030.
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