GCEO NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari flanked by the Chairman, Sanjiang Chemical Company, Mr. Guan Jianzhong (left) and Chairman, Xinganchen (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd, Mr. Bill Bi (right), signing a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on Technical Equity Partnership (TEP) in support of the completion and operation of the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries, in Jiaxing City, China, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Ojulari Leads Strategic Signing in China as Nigeria Pushes Refinery Restoration Drive
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has led a high-level delegation to Jiaxing City, China, where the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two major Chinese industrial firms for a Technical Equity Partnership (TEP) aimed at accelerating the completion and operation of Nigeria’s Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
The signing ceremony, held on Thursday, April 30, 2026, brought together key industry executives and marked another milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing refinery rehabilitation programme.
Ojulari was flanked at the event by the Chairman of Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited, MMrGuan Jianzhong (left), and the Chairman of Xinganchen (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd, MMr BillBi (right), as all parties formalised the agreement in a move widely viewed as strategic to Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector recovery.
The partnership framework is structured to deepen technical collaboration, industrial support, and operational efficiency, with a focus on restoring two of Nigeria’s most critical refining assets—the Port Harcourt Refining Company and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company.
Under the agreement, the Chinese consortium is expected to provide technical expertise, industrial park management capabilities, and engineering support, while NNPC Ltd retains oversight and asset ownership responsibilities, ensuring alignment with national energy security objectives.
Speaking around the significance of the partnership, the engagement underscores Nigeria’s renewed reliance on structured international technical alliances to address long-standing challenges in refinery rehabilitation, capacity utilisation and downstream productivity.
The Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have remained central to Nigeria’s energy discourse for years, with multiple rehabilitation attempts aimed at restoring domestic refining capacity and reducing dependence on imported petroleum products.
The Technical Equity Partnership model being pursued is expected to provide a more performance-driven framework, combining investment discipline with technical execution to fast-track operational readiness.
Industry observers note that the development reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s energy strategy under NNPC Ltd’s reform agenda, which prioritises efficiency, partnership-driven execution, and sustainable asset recovery.
While timelines for full restart and expansion were not explicitly detailed at the signing, stakeholders describe the MoU as a foundational step toward structured implementation and long-term operational turnaround of the refineries.
The agreement is also seen as part of Nigeria’s wider ambition to reposition its downstream petroleum infrastructure as a competitive regional hub, with improved refining capacity, reduced import exposure, and enhanced energy security.
NNPC Signs Technical Equity Partnership with Chinese Firms to Revive Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries
NNPC Limited, led by GCEO Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has signed a Technical Equity Partnership with two Chinese firms in Jiaxing City, China, to support the completion and operation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries in a major refinery revival push.
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