Africa’s biggest oil refinery has announced it is delaying the start of gasoline deliveries until the middle of July, without providing a specific reason.

“We had a bit of delay, but it will start coming out by the 15th of July,” Dangote group’s president, Aliko Dangote, told a Nigerian media outlet media on Friday.

“By third week of July, we will be able to take it into the market,” Dangote, Africa’s richest man, said in a video interview.

Dangote Industries opened its new Lagos State oil refinery on 22 May, with the 650,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) facility being the world’s largest single-train refinery by production. The refinery is built over 2,635ha.

The refinery was constructed with the aid of investment from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), which purchased a 20% stake for $2.7bn (N1.25trn).

Back in May, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, managing director of Dangote, said the facility will be able to produce 100% of Nigeria’s required refined fuels, with an export surplus.

The refinery began limited production of fuels in January 2024.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced production of diesel and aviation fuel,” the group said in a statement at the facility’s launch, adding that it is “a game changer for our country”.

The company claims the refinery will meet 100% of Nigeria’s demand for all refined petroleum products, with some surplus created for export.

In May, TotalEnergies announced it had secured its first supply agreement with the refinery, reported Reuters.

That same month, the refinery issued a tender for two million barrels of West Texas Intermediate Midland crude monthly for a year starting in July, according to a tender document obtained by the publication.

The refinery will eventually export diesel to customers in Europe, as well as gasoline to Latin American and African markets.