Nigeria Imports 15 Billion Litres of Petrol Despite Dangote Refinery Output
Despite the rise in local refining capacity, Nigeria still imported about 15.01 billion litres of petrol between August 2024 and early October 2025, representing 69 percent of total fuel consumed during the period, according to data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The report revealed that the country’s total petrol supply stood at 21.68 billion litres, with domestic refining contributing 6.67 billion litres—31 percent of the total. This comes even after the Dangote Refinery began fuel production in September 2024, a move initially expected to drastically reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel.
According to the NMDPRA’s report, titled Import vs Domestic Supply Performance (PMS Daily Average Supply – August 2024 to October 2025), imported petrol averaged 44.6 million litres daily in August 2024 and peaked at 54.3 million litres in September 2024. However, imports began to decline steadily to 24.15 million litres per day by January 2025, 19.26 million in September 2025, and 15.11 million litres in early October 2025.
This gradual decline in imports reflected the Dangote Refinery’s growing impact on the market. Local petrol production, which started at 6.43 million litres per day in September 2024, climbed to 22.66 million litres per day by January 2025 and later stabilized around 20 million litres. By October 2025, the refinery produced about 18.93 million litres per day—surpassing import volumes for the first time.
Still, competition between the refinery and petrol importers has remained fierce. Many importers have accused Aliko Dangote of creating unfair market conditions by reducing prices to capture a larger market share. Despite these tensions, the data shows that Nigeria’s petrol supply is gradually shifting toward local refining.
The figures also revealed fluctuations in total daily supply, which peaked at 60.73 million litres in September 2024 and dropped to 34.04 million litres by October 2025. This pattern reflects adjustments in consumption and supply availability following the government’s decision to fully deregulate the petrol sector and remove fuel subsidies in September 2024.
Dangote Refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, has consistently claimed it can meet Nigeria’s domestic demand and still export fuel to other countries. In fact, the refinery has already exported petrol, aviation fuel, and diesel to countries including the United States and Saudi Arabia.
In August 2025, the refinery challenged marketers to bring their tankers for loading, with the Dangote Group’s Vice President, Devakumar Edwin, stating that over 310 million litres of petrol were available in the refinery’s storage. “We can load any number of tankers you bring. We have more than 310 million litres as of now,” he said confidently.
Earlier in the year, Dangote announced that the refinery had exported two cargoes of aviation fuel to Saudi Aramco, calling it a major milestone that demonstrated the facility’s global reach and production capacity. Between June and July 2025, the refinery exported up to one million tonnes of petrol, signaling Nigeria’s emergence as a net exporter of refined products for the first time in decades.
Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of NMDPRA, confirmed that Dangote currently supplies an average of 20 million litres of petrol to the local market daily. “Without a doubt, the operation of the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery has changed Nigeria’s fuel supply dynamics,” he said.
The figures highlight a significant transition underway in Nigeria’s fuel supply chain—away from decades of import dependence toward a future driven by domestic refining. However, with pricing issues, market competition, and infrastructural challenges still in play, achieving full local dominance will take time.
