Industrialist says new LAB facility at refinery complex will outpace existing plants in Algeria and Egypt….
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has announced plans to establish a major petrochemical plant within the Dangote Refinery complex aimed at positioning Nigeria as a leading supplier of key raw materials used in detergent production across Africa.
Dangote disclosed this on Saturday while speaking to journalists during a tour of the refinery by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari.
According to him, the proposed facility will produce 400,000 tonnes of linear alkylbenzene (LAB) annually, a volume he said would surpass the combined output of existing plants on the continent.
“That raw material for detergent will be sufficient for the entire African continent. It’s 400,000 tonnes, which we don’t currently have,” Dangote said.
He noted that Africa presently has only two notable LAB facilities — one in Algeria with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes and another in Egypt producing 50,000 tonnes annually.
“But we are going 400,000 tonnes, and we will deliver all this within the next 30 months,” he added.
LAB is the primary feedstock used in the manufacture of surfactants — the active cleaning agents found in detergents — rather than finished consumer detergent products.
Dangote explained that the new project forms part of a broader plan to expand the refinery complex beyond fuel production into a fully integrated industrial hub.
“Here is not just a refinery. It’s an industrial hub,” he said, adding that the NNPCL is expected to partner in the development. “That’s why we are doing a Linear Alkyl Benzene plant.”
The billionaire industrialist said the refinery complex is steadily evolving into a petrochemical and manufacturing ecosystem designed to deepen domestic value chains, reduce reliance on imports and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base.
The LAB facility complements the group’s broader oil, gas and petrochemical expansion strategy and aligns with its existing operations in refining and fertiliser production.
Beyond energy and petrochemicals, the Dangote conglomerate maintains a diversified business portfolio spanning cement manufacturing, fertiliser, agriculture, food processing, logistics and packaging.
The planned petrochemical project signals another step in the group’s push to scale up Nigeria’s industrial capacity while targeting supply gaps in key African markets.
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