Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 2025. Bird, who previously served as Shell’s head of operations at its Balau Pokom refinery, will lead the refinery’s petroleum and petrochemicals division.
The appointment signals the company’s renewed focus on scaling production, streamlining operations, and positioning itself as a dominant force in Africa’s refining and petrochemical landscape. Bird’s experience expanding the Duqm refinery and diversifying its crude slate is expected to be invaluable in driving Dangote’s growth.
According to reports, Bird’s focus at Dangote will involve advancing the group’s footprint beyond the Nigerian market and across the African continent. He will be responsible for ensuring maximum output and efficiency for the refinery, with the aim of making the group a leader in the global market.
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The appointment comes as Dangote Group eyes its next wave of growth, with plans to expand the capacity of the Lagos refinery to 700,000 barrels per day, build out port infrastructure, and establish foreign storage assets in Namibia and other countries. The company is also set to roll out its own distribution business with a fleet of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks.
Dangote Group founder Aliko Dangote will remain as chairman of the refining business and CEO of the wider conglomerate. The company has been working to overcome production challenges and design issues that have stalled the ramp-up process of the 650,000-b/d refinery.
Despite these challenges, Dangote has quickly grown its market share in the Nigerian fuel sector, displacing large volumes of gasoline imports that the country once relied on.
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