NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Chinedu Asadu

Africa’s biggest oil refinery has begun production in Nigeria, the company has said, ending a years long wait for a plant that analysts said Monday could boost refining capacity in a region heavily reliant on imported petroleum products.

The $19 billion facility, which has a capacity to produce 650,000 barrels per day, has started to produce diesel and aviation fuel, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery company reported Saturday. As Nigeria’s first privately owned oil refinery, the project “is a game-changer for our country,” it added.