Monday, November 17, 2025 - Nigeria’s crude oil imports from the United States more than doubled in the first eight months of 2025, rising 101 per cent from a year earlier, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The country imported 31.69 million barrels between February
and August, up from 15.79 million barrels in the same period of 2024. There
were no recorded U.S. crude imports in January of either year.
Monthly imports fluctuated but trended sharply higher
through midyear. Nigeria brought in 3.11 million barrels in February, down 13.8
per cent from the 3.61 million barrels recorded a year earlier. Imports climbed
to 5.25 million barrels in March, a 53.5 per cent increase from 2024, and rose
32.3 per cent in April to 2.04 million barrels. May imports reached 3.79
million barrels, up 82.4 per cent from the previous year.
A major surge occurred in June, when imports jumped to 9.16
million barrels, compared with 1.04 million in June 2024 — a 782 per cent
increase. July imports rose slightly to 4.17 million barrels from 4.10 million
a year earlier. The agency did not publish comparative August 2024 figures for
the 4.17 million barrels reported in August 2025.
The rising intake of U.S. crude highlights Nigeria’s
dependence on foreign supply amid inconsistent domestic crude availability and
a slow ramp-up in local refining. U.S. light sweet grades have become an
attractive feedstock for complex refining operations, including the Dangote
Petroleum Refinery near Lagos.
Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria
continues to rely on imported crude and refined products due to underperforming
state-owned refineries. The $20 billion Dangote plant has repeatedly turned to
U.S. crude as it scales operations, even as the government seeks to prioritise
domestic supply.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission said
67.66 million barrels of crude were delivered to local refiners between January
and August, including modular plants and facilities operated by the state oil
company. Refiners had requested 123.48 million barrels for the first half of
the year, leaving a shortfall of 45 per cent.
The commission said allocations were made under the
Petroleum Industry Act and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation framework. But
refinery operators have complained that producers often prefer exporting crude
for dollar payments, making local sourcing difficult.
Nigeria produced 1.63 million barrels per day of crude and
condensates in August, according to the regulator, though most of it was
shipped abroad.
Data from commodities analytics firm Kpler shows the Dangote
refinery imported an average of 590,000 barrels per day in July, its highest
monthly intake on record. U.S. crude accounted for about 370,000 barrels per
day — or 60 per cent — while Nigerian grades supplied roughly 220,000 barrels
per day.
Kpler said July marked the first time U.S. crude volumes to
the refinery exceeded domestic supply, driven by technical preferences,
pricing, and constraints in securing local barrels.
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