The Dangote Group has proposed the construction of a petroleum products storage terminal in Cameroon as it seeks to strengthen the regional distribution network of its 650,000-barrel-per-day Lekki refinery and expand its footprint in Central Africa.
The proposal was presented to Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, on Tuesday by the Group’s Vice President for Oil, Gas and Fertiliser, Devakumar Edwin.
According to details of the proposal shared by a local media outlet, Business in Cameroon, seen on Friday, the planned facility would help build Cameroon’s strategic petroleum reserves, improve fuel supply security and potentially include a pipeline network for transporting refined products, reducing logistics costs and the environmental impact associated with road haulage.
The project, however, remains at the discussion stage, with no agreement announced after the meeting. The Dangote Group has yet to disclose the proposed location of the terminal, its storage capacity, investment value or implementation timeline.
It has also not stated whether the facility would be wholly owned, developed in partnership with the Cameroonian government or executed under a public-private partnership arrangement.
If realised, the project would provide a major export outlet for petroleum products from the Dangote refinery in Lekki, Lagos, which was built to meet domestic demand while supplying regional markets across Africa.
According to reports, the proposed terminal would also position the company to serve not only the Cameroonian market but also landlocked Central African countries, including Chad and the Central African Republic, which rely heavily on Cameroonian ports for fuel imports.
