Lagos, Nigeria – The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, a veteran of the oil and gas industry and former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its new Chief Executive Officer CEO.
The strategic move, which took from August 2025, is aimed at addressing operational challenges, accelerating production, and driving the refinery’s ambitious expansion plans across the African continent.
Bird, a former Shell executive with over 30 years of experience, is expected to leverage his expertise to propel the world’s largest single-train refinery into its next phase of growth. His appointment comes at a crucial time for the 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) facility, which has faced a number of operational hiccups and “design issues” since its commissioning in early 2024.
The Dangote Group is hoping to tap into Bird’s experience at the Duqm refinery, where he was instrumental in expanding its capacity and diversifying its crude slate.
This experience is particularly relevant as the Dangote refinery has had to shift from its initial design of processing Nigerian crude to a wider range of crude grades due to limited domestic supply.
In a statement to S&P Global’s Platts and a LinkedIn update, Bird outlined his priorities for the new role. He emphasized his focus on maximizing refinery output and operational efficiency.
Crucially, he also stated his intention to expand the group’s footprint beyond Nigeria and across the entire African continent.
While Dangote Group Chairman, Aliko Dangote, will retain his position as chairman of the refining business and CEO of the broader group, Bird will lead the fuels and petrochemicals division.
The refinery has already made a significant impact on Nigeria’s energy market by reducing gasoline imports. The company is now planning to expand the refinery’s capacity to 700,000 bpd and is set to launch its own nationwide fuel distribution network in August, utilizing a fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks.
Bird’s leadership is seen as a pivotal step in stabilizing the refinery’s performance and achieving its long-term goals of not only meeting Nigeria’s energy needs but also becoming a major player in the global market.
