The African Energy Chamber announced that Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian industrialist, has been named the 2026 African Energy Person of the Year.

The award highlights Dangote’s large‑scale investments in energy security, infrastructure, job creation and industrial growth across the continent.

Central to his impact is the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, near Lagos, which is the world’s largest single‑train refinery and recently boosted its capacity to about 700,000 barrels per day.

The complex, integrated with petrochemical, marine and logistics facilities, now produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and other products, reshaping Nigeria’s macro‑economy.

Since the refinery’s expansion, Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product imports fell from nearly 400,000 barrels per day in 2023 to under 130,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, while about 130,000 barrels per day are being exported to Europe.

In September 2026 the refinery launched an initial public offering of 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 each, targeting roughly ₦2.15 trillion ($1.6 billion) and marking the largest IPO in African history.

Dangote plans a $14.3 billion expansion to double the refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2029, positioning it among the world’s biggest refining complexes.

Following the capacity boost, the company intends to seek a secondary listing abroad, possibly in the United States, and to explore additional refining and logistics projects across Africa, including in East Africa.

Beyond his industrial ventures, Dangote’s philanthropic work through the Aliko Dangote Foundation includes health, education and poverty‑reduction initiatives, such as supporting the eradication of wild polio in Nigeria and COVID‑19 relief efforts.