Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, former CEO of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its chief executive officer, effective July 2025.
The appointment was disclosed in a news report by S&P global on Friday and seen by Bavijas.
The appointment is part of a broader plan to address production setbacks and accelerate the next phase of expansion for Nigeria’s refining flagship.
Bird is a seasoned industry executive with over three decades of experience, including a 14‑year tenure at Shell where he oversaw large‑scale projects such as the $12 billion Prelude FLNG venture.
He also led operations at Shell’s Balau Pokom refinery and directed the development of the Duqm refinery under OQ8 in Oman.
Since the commissioning of the 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery in January 2024, the plant has faced operational challenges including unit outages, design flaws, and inefficiencies affecting throughput.
These issues have limited full run‑rate potential, particularly within the residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) unit, forcing greater reliance on lower‑yield reformers.
Bird’s priority, as outlined on LinkedIn and in comments to Platts and S&P Global, is to maximize output and operational efficiency, while expanding Dangote’s reach beyond Nigeria into broader African markets.
He plans to leverage feedstock diversification and trading‑led strategy to enhance refinery flexibility and throughput.
Dangote Group founder Aliko Dangote will remain chairman of the refinery and CEO of the broader group, which includes cement, fertiliser and sugar operations.
Bird’s appointment comes at a critical time for the mega plant whose billionaire owner is targeting new projects.
- Dangote is working to raise capacity by 7% to 700,000 b/d.
- It plans to begin downstream fuel distribution using 4,000 CNG‑powered trucks this mid-August.
- It plans to build a 1.6 million barrels tank farm on Namibia’s Walvis Bay.
The company also plans stock exchange listings in Lagos and London. The listing date was earlier set for June but has apparently been postponed.
Bird’s operational and strategic pedigree is seen as essential to stabilising Dangote’s refining operations.
He is expected to resolve mechanical and market pressures, and position the Nigerian refinery as a regional and export‑driven refining powerhouse.
The management of the Dangote facility has recently hinted at its plans to refine 100% Nigerian crude by year end of 2025.
But energy analysts at Bavijas Consulting doubt the possibility of that, citing the huge volume required and the need to meet nominated supplies abroad.