August 1, 2025 | By Peter Omopo
In a bold strategic move to revitalise operations and strengthen its presence across Africa, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed seasoned oil industry executive David Bird as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Bird, former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery and a one-time Shell operations lead at Balau Pokom refinery, officially took over as CEO in July 2025. His appointment, confirmed in a report by S&P Global, marks a significant shift in leadership as the refinery confronts operational setbacks and positions for the next phase of growth.
The new CEO’s portfolio includes overseeing the refinery’s petroleum and petrochemical businesses, spearheading efforts to maximise output, ensure operational efficiency, and solidify the company’s status as a dominant refining force on the African continent. Bird was also seen participating at the recently concluded Dangote Leadership Development Program Graduation Ceremony in Lagos.
According to S&P Global, “Nigeria’s Dangote Group has appointed the former head of Oman’s Duqm refinery as CEO of its petroleum and petrochemicals business as it strives to overcome production challenges and advance its next wave of expansion.”
Despite the leadership change, Dangote Group’s founder and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, retains his role as chairman of the refining business and CEO of the broader conglomerate, which also operates in cement, fertiliser, and sugar production.
Bird brings with him vast experience in refinery expansion and crude diversification—qualities that Dangote is counting on as it eyes a significant scale-up in operations. At OQ8 in Oman, he led the Duqm refinery through key development stages, including its first test runs in 2023. His arrival at Dangote comes at a crucial moment, following a string of technical issues and startup challenges with the 650,000 barrels-per-day (b/d) refinery, which was commissioned in January 2024.
In a LinkedIn update, Bird expressed his commitment to broadening the refinery’s reach beyond Nigeria, with plans to extend operations across Africa. He is expected to prioritise high utilisation rates, feedstock flexibility, and efficiency, as the company adapts to evolving market conditions and fuel demands.
The refinery, the world’s largest single-train facility, has already begun making its mark on global oil markets, quickly disrupting Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports and driving down domestic demand for foreign gasoline. However, the road has not been smooth. Since the start of 2025, Dangote has grappled with repeated outages on its Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC)—the key gasoline-producing unit—forcing reliance on its lower-yield reformer.
Despite these hurdles, refinery executives report the RFCC is now running at 85 percent capacity. They also denied reports of a planned turnaround maintenance shutdown in December.
Bird’s appointment also comes amid ambitious plans to ramp up the refinery’s capacity to 700,000 b/d, expand port infrastructure, and establish foreign storage depots in Namibia and other countries. In August, Dangote will launch a new distribution business with 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks.
The Group has also revealed plans to list the refining business on both the Nigerian and London stock exchanges, as Aliko Dangote seeks to attract international investors and enhance transparency.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s reliance on the Dangote refinery continues to grow. In July 2025, Nigeria exported 220,000 b/d of petroleum products, with Dangote operating as the nation’s sole active refinery due to outages at Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) facilities. The refinery exported 30,000 b/d of residual fuel and dominated exports with jet fuel (45%) and gasoil (24%).
The refinery still operates under a naira-based trade agreement with the NNPC, which holds a 7.2 percent stake in the project. While the partnership continues, Dangote has decried what he called “rent-seeking” behaviours and the importation of substandard fuel, which he claims have negatively impacted the refinery’s operations.
With Bird now at the helm, industry analysts will be watching closely to see whether the refinery can overcome its current production bottlenecks and emerge as a sustainable powerhouse in global energy markets.
