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Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, said Monday that his company, Dangote Group, is exploring the use of electric trucks to modernize fuel distribution in Nigeria.
The announcement came during the launch of his refinery’s new compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks, which will deliver fuel directly to filling stations. About 4,000 CNG trucks are expected to arrive in Nigeria before next month, with the company offering free deliveries to customers.
A shift toward cleaner vehicles
Dangote said the next step for the company is adopting electric trucks, starting early next year. He cited safety and efficiency concerns as reasons to phase out older vehicles.
“You can’t tell me to keep using these old trucks,” Dangote said. “If there’s an accident, people may say sorry, but that doesn’t solve the problem. We need to protect our investment. Someone could even bring a faulty truck intentionally, and if that causes an accident, everything slows down. We don’t want that situation.”
On the topic of charging infrastructure, Dangote recounted an encounter abroad with an Uber driver using a Tesla. The driver told him it cost about €20 ($23.5) to fully charge the battery, which could cover up to 500 kilometers. “Things have changed, and we must keep changing too,” he said.
A refinery shaping Nigeria’s fuel market
For Dangote—whose fortune Bloomberg estimates at $28.7 billion—the refinery’s success depends on a steady supply of crude. The $20 billion Ibeju-Lekki facility in Lagos can process up to 650,000 barrels per day, making it the world’s largest single-train refinery.
Since its first exports, the refinery has shipped more than 1.1 billion liters of petrol between June and early September, reaching both domestic and international buyers. Two weeks after its first gasoline shipment reached the United States, two more followed, reflecting the plant’s growing presence in global fuel markets.
Global recognition and local impact
Executives from Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier Inc. recently described the refinery as a world-class facility capable of producing cleaner jet fuel for international aviation. To simplify distribution, Dangote Group has stopped self-collection sales and shifted marketers to a free delivery system.
The refinery began delivering petrol to 11 states on Sept. 15 at an ex-gantry price of N820 ($0.546) per liter, with free delivery to registered stations. Recommended pump prices range from N841 ($0.56) per liter in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti to N851 ($0.567) in Abuja, Delta, Rivers, Edo, and Kwara.
