By Our Energy Correspondent

Nigeria’s petroleum trade is undergoing a striking reversal as increased output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery reduces the country’s dependence on imported refined products while turning it into a growing exporter of petrol, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data show that Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum-product exports surged from an average of 46,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2023 to 350,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026—more than seven times higher.

The change is equally stark on the import side. Nigeria imported nearly 400,000 bpd of petroleum products by sea in 2023, but that had fallen to less than 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026, according to EIA data from Vortexa Analytics. At the same time, shipments of refined products between Nigerian ports rose from just 33,000 bpd in 2023 to 211,000 bpd in Q2 2026, indicating that more fuel is now being supplied domestically from local refining capacity rather than brought in from overseas. The EIA observed that increased refinery output meant “imports fell, exports increased” and Nigeria became more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products.

The export boom has also reportedly changed Nigeria’s product profile. Shipments of Nigerian petroleum products to Europe rose from 15,000 bpd in 2023 to 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026, while exports to other African countries reached nearly 120,000 bpd. The surge followed the Dangote refinery’s start-up in January 2024, and another major expansion after maintenance was completed in February 2026, which, EIA said, raised its crude-distillation capacity from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd.

The numbers, however, do not mean Nigeria has stopped importing crude. Dangote itself imported about $3.74 billion worth of crude in 2025, while its chief executive told Reuters that imported crude accounts for roughly 30% to 40% of the refinery’s intake. Nigeria’s crude production, meanwhile, remains constrained by supply and investment challenges.

The significance of Dangote, according to a Channels Television report, is therefore not that Nigeria has stopped importing oil, but that it is increasingly turning crude,  domestic and imported,  into products that can be consumed at home and abroad.

The US  Energy Information Administration reckons that the shift marks one of the most significant changes in Nigeria’s downstream oil industry in decades: a country that spent years exporting crude while importing the fuels it consumed is now developing the capacity to export refined products at scale. If the refinery can sustain high utilisation and secure competitively priced crude, the gains could include lower import bills, stronger foreign-exchange earnings and a larger share of the regional fuel market. But the transformation will depend on reliable crude supply, competitive pricing and continued refinery performance—not merely on installed capacity.

Trade shift at a glance

 

Key figures:

• Petroleum-product imports: ~400,000 bpd → <130,000 bpd
• Petroleum-product exports: 46,000 bpd → 350,000 bpd
• Intra-Nigeria product shipments: 33,000 bpd → 211,000 bpd

Exports to Europe: 15,000 bpd → 130,000 bpd central 

The chart above makes use of EIA/Vortexa figures. Q2 is a quarterly average, not a full – year 2026 figure.