Dangote Group has proposed building a petroleum-products storage terminal in Cameroon, a move that could extend the reach of Nigeria’s 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery into Central Africa.
The proposal was presented to Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, on July 21 by Devakumar Edwin, Dangote Group’s vice president for oil, gas and fertilizer. The plan remains under discussion, and neither the Cameroonian government nor Dangote has announced an agreement, investment decision or construction schedule.
Details of the proposed facility, including its location, storage capacity and estimated cost, have not been disclosed. Dangote has also yet to clarify whether it would develop the project independently, form a partnership with the government or pursue a public-private partnership.
The terminal could serve as a distribution base for petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other refined products produced at Dangote’s refinery in Lagos. A pipeline network has also been discussed as part of the concept, potentially reducing dependence on road transportation, cutting logistics costs and lowering the environmental impact of fuel distribution.
Cameroon’s strategic location would give the project wider regional significance. In addition to supplying the domestic market, a terminal could support fuel deliveries to landlocked Chad and the Central African Republic, which depend heavily on transport corridors linking them to Cameroon’s ports.
The Port Authority of Kribi says its own petroleum-terminal plans are intended to strengthen supplies to those same hinterland markets.
The Dangote proposal comes as Cameroon accelerates investment in storage and energy infrastructure, particularly around the deep-water port of Kribi. A project jointly developed by the Port Authority of Kribi and the Cameroon Petroleum Storage Company includes an initial capacity of 140,000 cubic meters for liquid petroleum products and 12,000 metric tons for liquefied petroleum gas, as well as a dedicated oil jetty.
Separately, Cameroon’s National Hydrocarbons Corporation and its partners are advancing the CSTAR refinery and storage project. The storage depot is expected to cost about $296 million and provide between 250,000 and 300,000 cubic meters of capacity for products including gasoline, gasoil, Jet A1, kerosene and heavy fuel oil. The wider Kribi development, including a refinery, has a projected cost of about $951 million.
Dangote’s entry could therefore complement Cameroon’s efforts to build reserves and improve supply reliability, but it could also create competition for port access, pipeline infrastructure and petroleum volumes.
For Dangote, the proposal reflects an ambition to transform its refinery from a domestic supply project into the anchor of a continent-wide fuel distribution network. For Cameroon, the potential investment offers another source of refined products—but its progress will depend on commercial terms, regulation, financing and coordination with projects already under development.
