API Group

What API Group does

API Group (legal name API Holding Group) is a privately held international enterprise led by CEO Salif Ouedraogo, with its social headquarters at Levels 41 & 42 Emirates Towers on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, UAE. The company operates as a diversified holding structure across West Africa through wholly-owned subsidiaries: APS Benin (petroleum product importation, distribution, and service station operations as the exclusive representative of PetroChina International across Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo); APS Construction (civil engineering, road infrastructure, and quarry extraction, partnered with China Railway and CIM-BENIN/Heidelberg Cement); APS Trade (import-export in food and phytosanitary products, including APS PHYTO for pesticides, fertilizers, and industrial chemistry, plus the Sinothé green tea brand distributed exclusively under contract with China Tea Co Ltd/Cofco); and the adjacent Nobila Airport Hotel and Nobila Energy subsidiaries. The company also maintains offices in Paris, Cotonou (Benin), and a registered entity in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

The business model is transactional and project-based across multiple verticals rather than a single-product SaaS or platform. Revenue is generated through commodity distribution margins on petroleum and phytosanitary products (transaction-fee style), one-time construction contracts (notably the 77 km N'Dali/Nikki/Chicandou road project financed by BOAD at approximately 26 million euros and the 16 km Godomey/Pahou road financed by the World Bank at 35 billion Fcfa), and large-scale government supply tenders (e.g., delivery of 47,000 tons of urea and 12,500 tons of NPK fertilizer for the 2013-2014 cotton season campaign at Port of Cotonou). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales built on direct relationships with government ministries, state-owned oil companies (SONACOP, Sonabhy, Sonapra), and exclusive partnerships with major Chinese state-linked firms; the company does not employ traditional consumer marketing channels. Technology is not a differentiator, with no proprietary platform, API, or AI capability disclosed in the source data.

Primary customers are governments and state-owned enterprises, with the Republic of Benin government serving as the anchor client across multiple lines of business through the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, and Commerce. The competitive moat derives from regulatory authorization for petroleum imports, exclusive distribution agreements with international majors (PetroChina), and access to multilateral development-bank financing for infrastructure projects. Headcount, revenue, and detailed financial performance are not publicly disclosed, limiting visibility into operational scale and profitability.

Name

API Group

Legal name

API Holding Group

Website

https://apiholdinggroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

API Group is a Dubai-headquartered, privately held holding company led by CEO Salif Ouedraogo, operating across West Africa through subsidiaries in petroleum distribution (exclusive PetroChina representative in five ECOWAS countries), road construction, agricultural inputs, and hospitality, primarily serving government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Petroleum distribution and infrastructure services

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Packaging and Labeling Services (56191)

SIC

Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Warehousing, Blending & Distribution for Agrochemicals (bulk handling, IBC/drum management) (AFABAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD), Import / Export Produce Wholesale (Cross-Border Trading) (AFAIACAH), Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)

Keywords

• Petroleum products distribution
• Agricultural inputs supply
• Road construction services
• Civil engineering infrastructure
• Phytosanitary products

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Petroleum Products Distribution: Import and distribution of petroleum products including gasoline, diesel, oil, lubricants, bitumen, jet fuel, and gas throughout Benin and West Africa sub-region.
2. Construction and Infrastructure: Civil engineering and road construction services, including quarry extraction and infrastructure projects.
3. Phytosanitary Products Distribution: Distribution of pesticides, fertilizers, and industrial chemistry products for agricultural use.
4. Food Processing Products: Import and distribution of food products including Chinese green tea under the Sinothé brand.
5. Agricultural Inputs Supply: Supply of farming inputs including fertilizers (urea and NPK) for cotton seasons, serving government agricultural campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

API Group imports and distributes petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, oil, lubricants, bitumen, jet fuel and gas) and develops service stations across West Africa through its APS Benin subsidiary, in partnership with PetroChina International. It also supplies large-scale agricultural inputs (fertilizers, phytosanitary products) to the Beninese government for cotton-season campaigns via APS Trade / APS PHYTO, executes road and civil engineering infrastructure through APS Construction, and distributes Chinese green tea under the Sinothé brand. The group additionally operates the Nobila Airport Hotel and Nobila Energy subsidiaries.

Product overview

API Group is a diversified international enterprise headquartered in Dubai, led by CEO Salif Ouedraogo, operating across multiple sectors through its subsidiaries. The company operates a portfolio of businesses including: APS Benin (petroleum products import, distribution, and service stations across 5 ECOWAS countries), APS Construction (civil engineering, road infrastructure, and quarry extraction), and APS Trade (import-export in food and phytosanitary products including APS PHYTO and Sinothé green tea distribution). Additional subsidiaries include Nobila Airport Hotel and Nobila Energy. The company has partnerships with government institutions in Benin and major international partners including PetroChina and China Railway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APS Benin: Petroleum products importation and distribution subsidiary, exclusive representative of PetroChina in 5 ECOWAS countries
• APS Construction
• APS Trade
• APS PHYTO
• Sinothé

Products and services

• Petroleum Products Distribution (Gasoline, Diesel, Oil, Lubricants, Bitumen, Jet Fuel, Gas) Importation and distribution of a full range of petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, oil, lubricants, bitumen, jet fuel, fuel oil, gas) throughout Benin and the West African sub-region, operated by the APS Benin subsidiary as exclusive representative of PetroChina International.
• Petroleum Storage, Transport and Conservation Services

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PetroChina InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAPS Benin is the exclusive representative of PetroChina International in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo. The partnership includes construction of service stations across 5 ECOWAS countries.
• China RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with China Railway (CRECG) for road construction projects including the N'Dali/Nikki/Chicandou section covering 77km at Nigerian border.
• CIM-BENIN (CIMBENIN)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with CIM-BENIN (subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement) for cement supply on road construction projects including Godomey/Pahou and N'Dali/Nikki/Chicandou projects.
• China Tea Co Ltd (Cofco Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distribution contract with China Tea Co Ltd for distribution of Chinese green tea products under the Sinothé brand name.
• SONACOPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigning of crossing and storage contract with SONACOP in Benin to facilitate international bidding throughout Africa.
• Shell (Togo Shell)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStorage contract with Shell in Togo to participate in international tenders in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo.
• Benin Ministry of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for supply of farming inputs throughout cotton season campaigns.
• Benin Ministry of FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for agricultural input supply campaigns.
• Republic of Benin GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted partnership with Beninese government through various ministries for agricultural and petroleum sector activities.
• Louis Dreyfus CommoditiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in food processing and phytosanitary product distribution.
• YaraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in fertilizer distribution for agricultural sector.
• AgroChinaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in phytosanitary and food product distribution.
• Pallet Construction (Palet Insaat)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partner for civil engineering projects.
• MatiereminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for construction materials supply.
• Beninese Agency for Rural Electrification and Energy Management (ABERME)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in rural electrification and energy management projects.
• SonabhyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in petroleum products distribution in Burkina Faso.
• Petroleum SAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in petroleum products distribution.
• Xingxing PipesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in petroleum-related products supply.
• SonapraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in agricultural sector activities.
• Fri-Benin (Heidelberg Cement)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in cement supply for construction projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Julius Berger Nigeria: Leading civil engineering and road construction contractor in West Africa, with a track record of large public-sector infrastructure projects. Closely comparable to APS Construction's road and interchange projects financed by DFIs.
• OCP Africa: Subsidiary of Morocco's OCP Group distributing fertilizers and agronomic services across Africa. Directly comparable to API's agricultural input distribution franchise serving cotton and smallholder farmer campaigns in West Africa.
• China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC): Chinese state-owned contractor executing large infrastructure projects across Africa, often financed by Chinese policy banks. Comparable to APS Construction / China Railway partnership model for DFI-financed road and civil works.
• Vivo Energy: Pan-African petroleum products distribution and retail operator across multiple African markets. Closely comparable to API's APS Benin in business model (import, storage, distribution, retail network) and geography (West/East Africa footprint).
• Sahara Group: Africa-focused diversified energy and infrastructure conglomerate spanning petroleum distribution, power, and infrastructure. Comparable to API Group's multi-vertical model across petroleum, construction, and trade across West Africa.
• Oando Plc: Nigerian integrated energy company with downstream petroleum distribution across West Africa. Comparable to APS Benin's petroleum products distribution franchise in West African markets.
• Notore Chemical Industries: Nigeria-based fertilizer producer and supplier serving West African agricultural markets. Comparable to API's fertilizer distribution and phytosanitary product business focused on regional crop-input value chains.
• CIMPOR / Heidelberg Materials Africa: Cement and construction materials supplier in West Africa through subsidiaries including CIM-Benin (an API Group partner). Comparable as a key construction materials supplier supporting API's road construction projects.

Broad incumbents

• Yara International: Global fertilizer producer and distributor with deep West African presence (already a partner of API). Comparable to API's agricultural inputs distribution franchise but at significantly larger global scale and with upstream manufacturing.
• TotalEnergies Marketing (West Africa): Operates petroleum product distribution, retail networks, and lubricants across West African markets. Overlaps with APS Benin's downstream and distribution activities at significantly larger scale and brand strength.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about API Group