In a bold step to solidify its presence across Africa’s energy sector, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has unveiled plans to establish massive fuel storage facilities in Namibia, aimed at strengthening fuel supply across Southern Africa. According to sources familiar with the development, the refinery intends to build storage tanks capable of holding at least 1.6 million barrels of gasoline and diesel in the strategic port city of Walvis Bay.
The ambitious move is part of the Dangote Refinery’s broader push to capture significant market share beyond Nigeria and across Southern African countries like Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and even parts of the southern Democratic Republic of Congo.
This development, first reported by Reuters, reflects the refinery’s strategic expansion drive just over a year after it commenced operations in Nigeria. The $20 billion, 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery—hailed as the largest in Africa—has steadily ramped up its production capacity and is now actively exploring regional export markets for its petroleum products.
A top Namibian Ports Authority official confirmed that the storage tanks would be located within the Walvis Bay harbour, a logistics hub critical to southern African trade routes. The project is expected to fast-track fuel accessibility, reduce import dependency for regional countries, and enable a stable and competitive energy supply.
Though the total investment value for the Namibian project has not been disclosed, industry insiders confirmed that construction is set to commence shortly, reinforcing Dangote’s aggressive strategy to control downstream fuel distribution across the continent.
“The plan is to use the Walvis Bay facility as a launchpad for consistent diesel and gasoline exports into landlocked Southern African countries, where refined product availability and pricing remain volatile,” one of the sources revealed.
In June, reports emerged that the refinery had sent its first gasoline cargo beyond West Africa, to Asia—an indication of growing confidence and output capacity. This follows an earlier announcement that Dangote had begun constructing eight new crude oil storage tanks at its Lagos facility, increasing capacity by an additional 6.29 million barrels (approximately 1 billion litres), bringing total crude storage to 3.4 billion litres.
This added infrastructure aligns with the refinery’s long-term vision of self-sufficiency for Nigeria and export capacity across Africa and international markets. Once operating at full capacity, the Dangote Refinery will be able to satisfy Nigeria’s domestic fuel demand—effectively phasing out imports—and export the surplus.
The expansion into Namibia also signals a deliberate pivot toward pan-African energy integration, with implications for regional energy security, trade relations, and logistics. It supports the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning Dangote as a key private-sector player in achieving intra-African energy cooperation and self-reliance.
Industry observers have noted that if successful, the Walvis Bay storage project could transform Namibia into a fuel distribution hub for Southern Africa, giving the region a stable alternative source for high-quality petroleum products and further reducing exposure to global market shocks.
With logistics and port infrastructure already in place, Walvis Bay provides an ideal base for Dangote’s southern ambitions, and stakeholders expect the project to trigger ancillary investments in transportation, warehousing, and retail fuel networks.
As Africa continues to tackle rising energy demands, poor refining capacity, and high dependence on fuel imports, the Dangote Refinery’s strategic expansion represents a watershed moment for regional development and private sector-led infrastructure growth.
If completed on schedule, Namibia will join Nigeria as a key pillar in Dangote’s vision for continental energy dominance, turning ambition into an operational reality with ripple effects across fuel pricing, job creation, and regional trade