Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery lays off workers over 'sabotage'

Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery said on Friday it had laid off some of its workers, citing sabotage in various units, noting that only a small number of staff were affected.

More than 3,000 Nigerian staff continue to work for the refinery, the statement added.

The refinery is the biggest in Africa by far with crude processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. Built at a cost of $20 billion, it began production of diesel and aviation fuel in January 2024 after several years of delays.

The Dangote Group last month appointed David Bird, a former Shell executive and ex-CEO of 0Q8 refinery in Oman, as chief executive of its refinery and petrochemical division

It plans to list its refining business on the Lagos and London stock exchanges, although it has not given a timeframe.