Refiners, Investors, Regulators to Converge at NORS 2026
The proposed Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Refinery has intensified investor interest in Nigeria’s emerging refining industry, with stakeholders set to examine how the country can turn increased domestic refining capacity into sustainable economic value.
The issue is expected to take centre stage at the Nigeria Oil Refining Summit (NORS) 2026, scheduled to hold from September 28 to 30 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.
The summit, organised by the Crude Oil Refinery-Owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN) and produced by The Legend & Legacy Company Ltd, will bring together refiners, crude producers, regulators, investors, financial institutions and other industry stakeholders.
Themed “Refining for Value: Linking Upstream Supply to Downstream Demand,” the summit will focus on the commercial and investment framework required to build a competitive and sustainable refining sector.
Event Director of NORS and Chief Executive Officer of The Legend & Legacy Company Ltd, Kunle Odusola-Stevenson, said the Dangote Refinery IPO had placed the capital market at the centre of discussions about the future of Nigeria’s refining industry.
“The Dangote IPO has brought capital markets squarely into the refining conversation. NORS 2026 will take that conversation further by examining how Nigeria can attract capital, strengthen commercial linkages and convert refining capacity into lasting economic value,” he said.
A major issue expected to dominate deliberations is the availability of crude oil for domestic refineries.
Industry stakeholders have consistently identified reliable and commercially viable crude feedstock as critical to ensuring that existing and emerging refineries operate consistently and profitably.
The summit’s opening executive session, titled “Guaranteeing Crude Supply for Domestic Refining: From Policy to Commercial Reality,” will bring upstream producers, refiners and regulators together to examine crude availability, pricing, commercial terms, supply security, regulation and investment.
Expected speakers include Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Adegbite Falade; Chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Matthew Bouyer; and senior representatives of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Seplat Energy, Renaissance Africa Energy, Aradel Holdings, Dangote Refinery, Pillar Oil and NNPC Limited.
The summit comes amid growing attention to Nigeria’s refining landscape as new and existing facilities seek to increase domestic crude processing and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
However, stakeholders say the availability of refining capacity alone does not guarantee sustained production, as access to reliable crude feedstock, favourable commercial terms, infrastructure and market access remain important to refinery operations.
Against this backdrop, NORS 2026 is expected to examine the entire value chain linking upstream crude production with domestic refining, downstream markets, financing and infrastructure.
The organisers said the summit would seek to address the commercial ecosystem required to connect crude supply with refineries, refined products with markets, capital with viable projects and infrastructure with industrial growth.
Participants are expected from the refining, upstream, banking, development finance, trading, infrastructure and oilfield services sectors.
For the organisers, the growing investment interest in Nigeria’s refining industry has broadened the conversation beyond the construction of refineries to the question of how the facilities can operate as part of an integrated and commercially sustainable industry.
NORS 2026 will hold from September 28 to 30, 2026, at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, with CORAN as host and The Legend & Legacy Company Ltd as producer.
