The Dangote Group has announced a plan to begin large-scale crude production in the coming weeks through its upstream assets.

Devakumar Edwin, the vice president of the Dangote Group, disclosed this in an interview with Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

He said early testing has commenced on crude from its Niger Delta licenses.

According to Edwin, the company has already begun standard well testing and is preparing to scale up output.

“We have opened a well and begun standard testing, which should be completed in the next three to four weeks maximum.

“After that point, oil can start to be pumped in larger volumes, and the company can begin work on drilling new wells,” he said.

Also speaking, David Bird, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Dangote refinery, said the upstream assets could provide a more stable crude supply for the refinery.

“Alongside its upstream interests, the company is seeking to establish its own shipping presence to help reduce logistics costs and improve the reliability of its crude sourcing,” Bird said.

However, the Nigerian government is yet to officially confirm the development as of the time of filing this report.

According to reports, adequate domestic crude oil supplies have been the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery’s major challenge.

However, in April 2026, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said it would increase its crude supply to Dangote Refinery to seven cargoes.

The refinery, on several occasions, has stated it sources the majority of its crude oil outside Nigeria despite being the country’s Naira-for-crude sale deal.