Nigeria’s 650,000 barrel per day (bpd) Dangote refinery has moved to obtain crude oil from Ghana as part of efforts to diversify its feedstock sources, according to The Guardian.

Consistent operational setbacks have pushed the refinery to improve its flexibility, opting to incorporate Ghana’s medium-sweet Sankofa grade crude into the mix along with cargoes transported by five Nigerian Suezmaxes and two US Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), according to data provided by Kpler.

Dangote is currently operating at around 450,000 bpd (70% nameplate capacity), which is an increase of around 60% since the first quarter of 2025, but still not what has been expected of the $20bn project.

Since the beginning of August, Kpler data shows that Dangote’s imports have dropped to around 450,000 bpd from a July record of 570,000 bpd, apparently due to ongoing issues with the plant’s Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU).

Despite data pointing to issues at the refinery, Dangote Industries continues to deny that there are any issues at the facility.

Anthony Chiejina, Dangote Industries’ Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, has called reports referencing RFCC problems as “speculative” and “untrue”.

The official continued to tell The Guardian that the refinery had “no issue . . .  operations are progressing as planned”.

Chiejina’s efforts to deny claims come following previous comments made by a senior refinery executive who told S&P Global-owned Platts that maintenance work on the RFCC unit had been finished on August 21 and that normal production would commence by August 24.

Notably, S&P Global recorded an increase in fuel imports into West Africa around a temporary halt to production at Dangote – showing that although the refinery’s capacity continues to grow, operational reliability remains difficult to quantify.

Other sources familiar with the matter have said that restart is now expected in early September.