Botswana is seeking a fuel supply agreement with Aliko Dangote as the landlocked southern African country moves to diversify petroleum imports amid disruptions to global energy markets caused by the Iran war.
Bogolo Kenewendo, Botswana’s minister of minerals and energy, said the government was engaging suppliers in Nigeria, Angola and Côte d’Ivoire to secure alternative sources of refined petroleum products and reduce the risk of shortages.
“Because we are clear that we never want to have any fuel insecurity, we’ve engaged Dangote, we’ve engaged Angola, we’ve engaged Cote d’Ivoire to ensure that they can supply us,” Kenewendo said in an interview with Bloomberg in Gaborone recently.
Botswana imports all its refined petroleum products, leaving its fuel supply exposed to international price volatility and disruptions along regional shipping and distribution routes.
The US-Iran war has disrupted crude oil shipments and pushed up global energy prices, prompting governments to explore alternative suppliers and transportation corridors to safeguard domestic fuel availability.
Kenewendo said Botswana had diversified its supply routes to Mozambique and Namibia but would need adequate coastal storage infrastructure to make the alternative corridors viable.
“We have diversified our routes to Mozambique and to Namibia, and in order for those routes to work properly, we need to have good storage facilities, coastal storage facilities, in both areas,” she said.
The government has already secured a supply arrangement with Oman, with OQ Trading delivering its first diesel shipment to Botswana through Mozambique’s Port of Matola on October 9.
The African country is also exploring supplies through a proposed petroleum pipeline that Dangote plans to develop across Southern Africa, linking Namibia with landlocked markets and other regional economies.
The proposed pipeline forms part of Dangote’s broader plan to invest more than $3.5 billion in a 2,650-kilometre network linking Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
The project is expected to strengthen the distribution of refined petroleum products across the region and provide alternative supply corridors for countries that rely heavily on imports.
Dangote expands Africa-wide fuel distribution network
Botswana’s interest comes as Dangote expands beyond refining into the infrastructure needed to transport and distribute petroleum products across African markets.
Africa’s richest man is pursuing pipeline and storage investments across the continent, including a $327 million acquisition of a 25 percent stake in Kenya’s petroleum products pipeline network.
Other projects include a distribution corridor linking Djibouti to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and a pipeline project in Cameroon.
The expansion is intended to connect the refinery’s output to more African markets while reducing the logistical barriers that limit cross-border petroleum trade.
Dangote Refinery has already supplied refined petroleum products to markets including Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Tanzania, extending Nigeria’s role in regional fuel supply.
Nigeria’s emergence as a major supplier reflects the refinery’s growing capacity to serve overseas markets alongside domestic demand.
In the second quarter of 2026, Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports averaged 561,000 barrels per day, up from an annual average of 79,000 barrels per day in 2023. Exports to African markets rose to nearly 120,000 barrels per day from 89,000 barrels per day in 2025.
The expansion comes as African countries seek to reduce exposure to disruptions in international energy markets and dependence on established import routes.
However, the benefits for importing countries will depend on competitive supply prices, transportation costs and the availability of storage and distribution infrastructure.
Feyishola Jaiyesimi is a writer and storyteller. She currently writes for the energy desk at BusinessDay with a focus on renewable energy and environmental issues. She began her journalism career as an agricultural reporter and now covers the energy sector, including oil, gas, electricity, environment, and renewables. She has been selected for professional training by the US Consulate, Lagos. She is a 2025 Dataphyte Biodiversity Reporting Fellow. Feyishola holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Environmental Biology from Ekiti State University.
