Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the$19 billion Dangote Refinery in Lagos on May 22, 2023, Ripples Nigeria newspaper reported, citing a senior government official.

“Efforts by the federal government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in local refining of crude oil to save the scarce foreign exchange used in the importation of petroleum products have received a boost as the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery set for inauguration on May 22,” said Special Assistant on Digital Communications to President Bashir Ahmad.

The Dangote Refinery complex in the Lekki Free Zone area of Lagos covers approximately 2,635 hectares. The facility is expected to produce 650,000 barrels per day.

The refinery has the biggest single-train facility in the world, the report said.

Despite being Africa's biggest oil producer and exporter, Nigeria currently depends on fuel imports after allowing its significant refining capacity of 445,000 bpd to become dilapidated over several decades.

(Editing by seban.scaria@lseg.com)