Cape Town, South Africa: Group II lubricants are gaining traction in the African lubricant market, stakeholders told BND at the 10 th ICIS Africa Base Oils and Lubricant conference in Cape Town, South Africa. “It is happening at a faster pace now,” said Siva Konar, Marketing Segment Manager, Middle East and Africa at Azelis. “Formulations in lubricants are changing to Group II quickly and fast. The volumes of Group II base oils going to East, West, and North Africa are an indication of transformation in the African lubricant market." However, he added that “it is difficult to put a timeline on when the transition will happen unless there is legislation to back it.” For her part, Tolulope Alabi, head of business development, supply at OVH, Nigeria, said that Group I lubricants are still dominant on the Nigerian lubricant market but acknowledged that the dominance of Group II on the international lubricant market is influencing the uptake of Group II on the local lubricant market. “Most of our base oil demand is Group I,” said Tolulope. “We have to take Group II because that is what is available on the international market. We may find ourselves moving in that direction,” she added.

Group II Gaining Traction in Africa.— Our Reporter

Tayo Ayodeji, business development manager, Energy practice at Kline Company, in her presentation at the 10 th ICIS African Base Oils and Lubricant Conference in Cape Town, explained that while Group I remains dominant on the continent, there is a gradual shift toward Group II lubes. “Africa's lubricant market relies heavily on imported Group I basestocks, with a gradual shift toward higher-performance Group II and multigrades driven by industrial and automotive demand, and rising interest in fuel-efficient lubricants is boosting demand for Group II and multigrades.” However, Siva noted that even though the age of the car park in Africa is young, a shift towards higher-grade lubes will be engendered as OEMs start assembling cars in several countries across the African continent. “In some cases, the age of the car park is very young. If you start to look at countries that import used cars, they import cars that are between five and seven years old. So by default, it is a young car park as time progresses,” said Konar.
Similarly, Ayodeji said that the “uptake of Group II and III basestocks is increasing, especially in automotive, as original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) recommendations and awareness of durability benefits grow.