Dangote adds 750,000MT of Propylene for plastics in Honeywell petrochemical deal

NIGERIA – Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery has partnered with Honeywell to deploy UOP’s Oleflex technology, producing an additional 750,000 metric tons of propylene annually and 400,000 metric tons of linear alkylbenzene (LAB) at its Lekki complex, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrochemicals for packaging, consumer goods, and detergents.

The move is part of Dangote’s wider plan to build an integrated petrochemicals business around Africa’s largest refinery, positioning Nigeria as a regional manufacturing hub. 

The US$20 billion complex currently has a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, with plans to expand to 1.4 million bpd by 2028, a move Dangote says would make it the world’s largest refinery by throughput.

From Crude to Packaging Feedstock

Propylene is a fundamental building block for polypropylene (PP), a plastic widely used in rigid packaging, flexible films, caps, closures, and food containers. 

By producing an additional 750,000 tonnes of propylene on-site, Dangote can feed its existing polypropylene unit, which began producing PP in March 2025 in 25kg bags for the local market, and support expansion plans to increase polypropylene capacity from 830,000 to 2.4 million metric tons annually.

The second product line, linear alkylbenzene (LAB), is a key surfactant ingredient in detergents, cleaning products, and industrial formulations. 

Once fully operational, Dangote’s LAB plant is expected to rank among the world’s largest.

Reducing Import Dependence

Nigeria currently imports significant volumes of both polypropylene and LAB, using scarce foreign exchange to purchase materials that could be produced domestically. 

Dangote’s integrated complex, which already produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and polypropyle, now enadds these petrochemical streams, allowing Nigerian packaging manufacturers and detergent formulators to source locally.

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, explained that Honeywell’s technologies enable the company to help the region meet rising demand for consumer and industrial goods, positioning Dangote as a global supplier and driving economic development throughout West Africa.

Long-Term Collaboration

Honeywell UOP has been a technology partner to Dangote since 2017, providing refining systems, catalyst regeneration equipment, and heat exchanger technologies. 

The petrochemical expansion forms part of a broader scale-up that includes increasing crude processing capacity from 650,000 b/d to 1.4 million b/d by 2028.

When a Refinery Becomes a Packaging Hub

A refinery that only produces fuel is a commodity business. One that produces propylene for polypropylene, the material in yoghurt cups, takeaway containers, and shampoo bottles, is a packaging supply chain anchor. 

Dangote’s pivot into petrochemicals turns Nigeria from an importer of plastic feedstock into a potential regional exporter. For West African packaging manufacturers, that shift could shorten lead times, cut costs, and secure supply.

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