Veteran Oil Exec David Bird Appointed CEO of Dangote Refinery in Bold Move by Aliko Dangote

Share on Social Media:

{“data”:{“prop_list”:[],”met_publish_data”:[{“effect_list”:””,”effect_source”:””,”is_parent_template_used”:false,”met_parent_resource_ids”:””,”prop_list”:””,”prop_selected_from”:””,”resource_list”:””,”tab_key”:””}],”product”:”aweme”}}

Aliko Dangote has appointed oil industry veteran David Bird as the new CEO of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, marking a major leadership shift for Africa’s largest refinery. The appointment comes as the $19 billion refinery faces challenges in ramping up full production despite its 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity.

Bird, a former top executive at Shell, Santos, and CEO of Duqm Refinery in Oman, brings over 25 years of global experience. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Imperial College London and an MBA from Stanford University.

His mission is to stabilize operations, enhance fuel output, and drive pan-African expansion. In his statement, Bird emphasized plans to implement a trading-led operational model, scale refining throughput, and improve distribution across the continent.

The move reflects Dangote’s broader ambition to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports and establish energy self-sufficiency. Upcoming plans include increasing capacity, deploying a new CNG transport fleet, and launching an Initial Public Offering (IPO) locally and globally.

With David Bird leading the refinery and Dangote continuing as Chairman, this marks a new phase for Nigeria’s energy future.

instagramyoutubewhatsapp