A non-profit organization called Dialogue Earth has been accused of trying to launch a smear campaign against the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria, which is the largest refinery in Africa, producing 650,000 barrels of oil per day. The NGO allegedly reached out to a Nigerian journalist named David Hundeyin, offering him $500 to write an article that would raise doubts about the refinery’s impact on Nigeria’s climate goals. According to Hundeyin, this article was nothing more than an attempt by a Western organization to use an African voice to support energy poverty on the continent.
The African Energy Chamber (AEC), which advocates for the African energy sector, has condemned Dialogue Earth’s tactics. They accuse the NGO of trying to manipulate Africans into harming their own oil and gas industry. The AEC argues that projects like the Dangote Refinery are crucial for Africa’s development. This refinery, Nigeria’s first large-scale refinery, is expected to bring significant changes to West Africa by reducing dependence on imported fuels, increasing the availability of cleaner, locally sourced oil, and creating jobs and business opportunities.
The AEC sees Dialogue Earth’s actions as part of a broader pattern where Western organizations attempt to demonize Africa’s oil and gas industry, thereby hindering efforts to tackle energy poverty. These organizations, the AEC argues, seem more interested in keeping Africa dependent and underdeveloped rather than supporting its growth.
Dialogue Earth reportedly asked Hundeyin to focus on the environmental implications of the refinery, suggesting that it could harm Nigeria’s climate goals. However, Nigeria has made it clear that oil and gas are essential for its energy transition, allowing the country to reduce emissions in a way that supports the economy and fights energy poverty. As one of Africa’s largest oil producers, Nigeria views the expansion of its oil and gas industry as vital for generating revenue, boosting economic activities, and promoting the production of low-carbon fuels. The Dangote Refinery, therefore, plays a key role in Nigeria’s energy transition, contrary to what Dialogue Earth was trying to suggest.
Moreover, Dialogue Earth wanted Hundeyin to assess whether the refinery meets environmental standards, particularly regarding emissions. Hundeyin pointed out that Nigeria has long struggled with relying on imported oil, which often contains high levels of toxic substances, such as sulphur, far exceeding European limits. With the Dangote Refinery, Nigeria can reduce its dependence on these harmful imports and enforce stricter environmental standards, something that Dialogue Earth seemed to ignore in its campaign.
The NGO also wanted the article to explore the geopolitical implications of Nigeria’s growing oil industry, questioning the refinery’s motivations. However, Dialogue Earth failed to recognize the refinery’s importance in boosting the Nigerian economy, contributing to global fuel stability, and strengthening the country’s energy sector. This campaign, according to the AEC, is just another example of how some Western NGOs only support climate action when it aligns with their interests, even if it means keeping Africa in the dark.
NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the AEC, praised Hundeyin for refusing to participate in Dialogue Earth’s campaign. He criticized the NGO for trying to use an African journalist to push its own biased agenda, calling it a cowardly attempt to undermine Africa’s oil and gas industry. Ayuk emphasized that this is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger trend where Western-funded NGOs try to stop oil and gas projects in Africa, from the East African pipeline in Uganda to LNG projects in Mozambique. These efforts, he argued, are harmful to Africa’s development, its fight against energy poverty, and the future of young Africans who want to build strong, democratic societies.
