Dangote Mitsui Chemicals partnership set to drive petrochemical growth in Nigeria using feedstock from Dangote’s Lagos refinery

The newly announced Dangote Mitsui Chemicals partnership is set to mark a major milestone in Nigeria’s industrial development, as both companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch joint petrochemical production in the country.

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The partnership, disclosed by Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals, will leverage feedstock from Dangote’s 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Lagos — Africa’s largest refining complex.

The joint venture is expected to unlock advanced technologies and deepen industrialisation across the region.

According to S&P Global, Mitsui Chemicals will transfer proprietary technologies for producing resins and fertilisers to the new venture, building on its joint experience in resin and PET production with Siam Cement Group in Thailand.

“We will jointly explore concrete possibilities to contribute to strengthening the living foundations and developing regional industries in African countries, including Nigeria,” Mitsui Chemicals said in a statement.

The MoU was signed during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama.

Japanese consulting firm AAIC Holdings played a key facilitation role, highlighting growing interest from Japanese corporates in Africa’s petrochemical future.

The move strengthens Dangote’s position as a rising force in West Africa’s petrochemical market.

The Dangote complex — inaugurated in January 2024 — launched a 900,000 metric tons-per-year polypropylene plant by March 2025, aiming to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports by at least 250,000 metric tons annually.

In May, the company took its global ambitions further by signing an exclusive marketing deal with international distributor Vinmar to supply polymer products outside Africa.

Dangote currently produces 77 grades of polymer and is rapidly becoming a key supplier in the global plastics value chain.

This bold step comes amid Dangote’s broader expansion.

The company has brought in former Shell executive David Bird as its first-ever CEO for the refining division and secured a $4 billion loan led by the African Export-Import Bank.

It now aims to scale up refining to 700,000 bpd and establish satellite storage hubs in countries like Namibia.

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The Dangote Mitsui Chemicals partnership represents a powerful alliance between African resources and Japanese industrial know-how — a move that could significantly boost Nigeria’s role in the global petrochemicals sector.