Yemisi Izuora
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has engaged Honeywell International Inc. to supply process technologies and catalysts for a petrochemical expansion at the operator’s 650,000-b/d integrated refining complex in the Lekki Free Trade Zone near Lagos, Nigeria, supporting increased production of propylene and linear alkylbenzene (LAB).
Under the contract, Honeywell UOP LLC will license its proprietary Oleflex technology to enable the refinery’s production of an additional 750,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of propylene, alongside a suite of process technologies and catalysts to support output of 400,000 tpy of LAB, Honeywell said.
The capacity additions Dangote’s goal of meeting growing regional demand for plastics, packaging materials, and detergent feedstocks while reducing reliance on imports, the service provider said.
According to Honeywell, the integration of additional petrochemical capacity aims to improve overall refinery economics at the site by increasing product flexibility and value capture from crude processing.
The petrochemical expansion forms part of a broader scale-up of Dangote’s refining and downstream operations, with the operator also progressing plans to increase crude processing capacity at Lekki refinery from 650,000 b/d to 1.4 million b/d by 2028, a move that would position the complex as the world’s largest single-site refinery.
This latest contract for the Lekki refinery follows Dangote’s separate November 2025 award to Honeywell under which the service provider will deliver advanced process controls, catalysts, and digital optimization technologies to support higher throughput and reliability across both existing and new units as part of the complex’s crude processing expansion.
Dangote said the expansion supports Nigeria’s broader objective of strengthening domestic refining and petrochemical supply chains. Increased local production of petrochemicals and refined products is expected to reduce import dependence and improve foreign exchange balances, while supporting downstream manufacturing sectors.
The announcement builds on a long-term collaboration between the companies, which includes deployment of Honeywell technologies across refining and petrochemical operations at Lekki.
Future investments
Parallel to the project-level developments, Dangote has also outlined a wider investment strategy tied to its Vision 2030 plan.
In an early April update from the African Energy-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Dangote confirmed it is targeting $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and expects to require at least $40 billion in new investments between 2025-30.
Key elements of that strategy include,Expansion of refining capacity to 1.4 million b/d, Growth in fertilizer production from 3 million tpy to 12 million tpy, Investment in infrastructure, including pipelines and ports and Development of gas, mining, power, and digital infrastructure assets.
As part of financing efforts, Afreximbank has agreed to support Dangote through a $2.5-billion funding scheme within a broader $4-billion syndicated loan for the refinery.
Dangote’s combined refining and petrochemical expansion reflects a shift toward integrated complexes designed to maximize conversion of Africa’s domestically produced crude into higher-value chemical products.
For West Africa, the additions could enhance regional supply resilience for both fuels and petrochemical derivatives, while positioning Nigeria as a potential export hub, according to the operator