Cameroon's Sonara signs a fuel supply deal with Nigeria's Dangote Group and MRS Oil
Cameroon's state refiner Sonara has signed an agreement with Nigeria's Dangote Group and Lagos-based MRS Oil & Gas Company to supply refined petroleum products to Cameroon, Sonara announced on Friday 30 October 2026. The deal, signed in Lagos on 22 October, is intended to give Cameroon a stable and sustainable fuel supply as petroleum costs rise amid the conflict in the Middle East. Cameroon has imported all of its refined fuel since 2019, when an explosion damaged its only refinery.
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Key points
- Sonara signed the supply agreement with Dangote Group and MRS Oil & Gas in Lagos on 22 October and announced it on 30 October.
- Cameroon has imported all of its refined fuel since an explosion damaged its only refinery at Limbe in 2019.
- Sonara did not disclose the volumes, the price or how long the agreement will run.
What happened
The Dangote refinery at Lekki, outside Lagos, is the largest single-train refinery in the world and has been signing supply arrangements across Africa as the war in the Middle East disrupts the fuel routes African importers have long relied on. For Cameroon, the deal replaces part of that exposed import chain with a supplier next door in Nigeria.
Claim by claim
Why this label: Sonara's own announcement, reported by Reuters (read in full) and by BusinessDay in the same terms.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Sonara's stated purpose and the postponement, as reported by Reuters and BusinessDay.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Reuters' and BusinessDay's accounts of the 2019 explosion and Cameroon's import dependence since.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The agreement was signed on 22 October and announced by Sonara on 30 October, and its stated purpose is a stable, sustainable fuel supply for Cameroon.
What we don't know yet
- The volumes, prices and duration of the agreement — Sonara did not disclose them, and figures carried by some outlets are not confirmed by the companies.
- When deliveries under the agreement begin, and the new date for the postponed launch ceremony.
Why it matters
Fuel is the import bill almost every African economy feels first — in transport fares, food prices and generator costs. A state-to-industry supply line from a Nigerian refinery to a neighbour that has had no working refinery for seven years is a concrete test of whether African refining capacity can serve African markets, not only exports.
Background
An explosion and fire damage Sonara's refinery at Limbe, Cameroon's only refinery; Cameroon imports all refined fuel from then on.
Sonara signs the supply agreement with Dangote Group and MRS Oil & Gas in Lagos.
Sonara announces the agreement; the planned launch ceremony is postponed, with a new date to come.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
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Published in Checking state — checking continues, and claims are labelled as reporting develops. Basis: Sonara's announcement, reported by Reuters and BusinessDay.