The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, a seasoned energy executive and former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as the new Chief Executive Officer of its petroleum and petrochemicals division.
The appointment, effective July 2025, is seen as a strategic move to resolve production bottlenecks and drive the next phase of growth for Africa’s largest refining project.
Bird, a former Shell executive who also led operations at the Balau Pokom refinery, steps into the role amid efforts to scale operations at the world’s largest single-train refinery, which was commissioned in January 2024.
His appointment was confirmed in a report by S&P Global on Friday and further validated by his presence at the recently concluded Dangote Leadership Development Program Graduation Ceremony.
The appointment marks a new era for the 650,000 barrels-per-day (b/d) refinery, which has faced repeated production setbacks since inception.
With a strong background in expanding crude processing capacity and improving refinery economics, Bird is expected to steer the business toward operational stability and regional leadership.
Bird stated that his immediate focus would be to maximize output, boost operational efficiency, and expand Dangote’s footprint beyond Nigeria into the broader African energy market.
He also plans to position the refinery as a global competitor in both fuels and petrochemicals, building on the group’s fast-growing dominance in Nigeria’s domestic fuel supply.
Despite Aliko Dangote retaining his role as Chairman of the refining unit and CEO of the larger Dangote Group, Bird is expected to operate with significant autonomy as he charts a new strategic direction for the refining arm.
The Dangote Group’s broader interests span cement, sugar, and fertilizers, but the refining division is increasingly seen as a cornerstone of its growth.
Since its commissioning, the Lagos-based refinery has significantly reduced Nigeria’s dependence on imported gasoline, although production has been hampered by “design issues” and operational setbacks.
Most recently, the refinery has faced repeated outages at its Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), a crucial unit for gasoline production, forcing reliance on lower-yield alternatives.
S&P Global noted that Bird’s experience in diversifying crude slates and optimizing refining logistics would be critical to overcoming these challenges.
Under his leadership, Oman’s Duqm refinery expanded its processing capabilities and optimized crude flexibility—skills that now find renewed relevance in Dangote’s context, especially as the refinery adjusts to limited availability of Nigerian crude.
The company is also bound by a naira-based domestic crude supply deal with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), which holds a 7.2% stake in the refinery.
As part of its growth blueprint, the Dangote Group plans to scale up refining capacity to 700,000 b/d, expand port facilities, and establish petroleum storage hubs in Namibia and other African nations.
August will also see the launch of a Dangote-owned distribution network powered by 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, a major step in reducing logistics costs and improving last-mile delivery.
Amid these developments, the Group is preparing to list the refining business on both the London and Lagos stock exchanges—a move long envisioned by Aliko Dangote, who reiterated the group’s IPO ambitions in a recent investor briefing.
Despite the setbacks, the refinery’s impact has already been felt on global oil markets. It began exporting petroleum products in early 2024, causing unexpected ripples in benchmark pricing.
In July 2025 alone, Dangote’s complex exported about 220,000 b/d of petroleum products, effectively becoming Nigeria’s only active refining operation due to downtime at NNPC’s facilities.
Jet fuel led the exports, making up 45% of total shipments, followed by gasoil at 24%. Meanwhile, 30,000 b/d of residual fuel—normally reprocessed in the RFCC—was exported due to processing delays.
Bird’s arrival is expected to stabilize these operations and accelerate Dangote’s ambitions to become Africa’s refining powerhouse. His appointment marks a calculated shift toward experienced, globally-tested leadership as the group aims to leave behind its teething phase and compete on the world stage.
