Dangote, business tycoon and Africa’s richest man has been contacted by the Republic of Cameroon, Nigeria’s eastern neighbour, for technical support to help it (Cameroon) to revive its 45-year state-owned oil refinery, SONARA (Société Nationale de Raffinage), according to official government statement.
The discussions also include funding assistance to restart the state-run refinery, which was gutted by fire on May 31, 2019. Since then, the government has not been able to put the facility back to functioning.
SONARA was badly damaged by the mysterious fire at its Limbe location, in the South West Region of the country. Since then, the Paul Biya administration has been making efforts to restart the refinery, the latest being discussions with Nigeria’s Dangote Group to secure funding and technical support aimed at rehabilitating the facility.
A high-level delegation from SONARA earlier visited the Dangote Refinery in its Lekki, Lagos facility earlier in January, to explore a strategic partnership.
According to key details of the development, the discussions centred on the “PARRAS 24” recovery plan, a two-year strategy (2026–2027) aimed at repairing the infrastructure destroyed by the May 2019 fire. PARRAS stands for Plan to Accelerate Rehabilitation measures with a view to Resuming at SONARA within 24 months. It was adopted by the board of directors of the refinery in August 2025, to raise 300 billion CFA francs (or $540 million) to rebuild and modernise the refinery.
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SONARA was established in December 1976, and officially inaugurated in 1981. It is seeking financial backing and long-term fuel supply agreements from Dangote to reduce its reliance on imports and stabilize its business.
The partnership aims to facilitate the resumption of operations at the refinery, which has been inactive for upwards of seven years, as part of a wider effort to strengthen energy security in the country and the Central African (CEMAC) region.
According to development analysts in the country, Cameroon’s move comes as the Dangote Refinery has emerged as a major player in Africa’s fuel market, with multiple nations seeking similar support to improve their own refining capabilities.
Checks by our correspondent indicate that apart from Cameroon, other African countries, including South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya have formally engaged with the Dangote Refinery to secure fuel supplies, explore partnerships, or improve their refining capabilities.
South Africa is seeking long-term supply contracts for refined petroleum products, particularly to diversify supply sources amid global market disruptions arising from the Middle East war.
Ghana and Kenya are engaged in formal talks for supply arrangements, with Kenya in discussions with Dangote Refinery regarding the potential development of a new large-scale refinery to boost local and regional capacity.
However, Cameroon’s potential partnership (with Dangote Refinery) is subject to progress in restructuring SONARA’s existing debt, estimated at CFA 479 billion (or $860 million).
