The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has significantly reshaped Nigeria’s petroleum trade, helping the country emerge as a major exporter of refined products while reducing its dependence on imported fuels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The EIA said Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports increased seven-fold between 2023 and the second quarter of 2026, as rising output from the refinery expanded the volume of refined products available for both domestic distribution and overseas markets.
Data from Vortexa showed that Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product shipments averaged 561,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, compared with an annual average of 79,000 bpd in 2023.
Of the Q2 2026 shipments, about 350,000 bpd were exported, compared with just 46,000 bpd in 2023, highlighting the scale of the change in Nigeria’s position in the regional petroleum market.
The Dangote refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, began operations in 2024 and is Nigeria’s largest refinery. The EIA said the increase in domestic petroleum product production following its start-up allowed Nigeria to reduce imports, increase exports and become more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products.
The transformation accelerated after the refinery completed maintenance and expansion works in February 2026. The project increased its crude oil distillation capacity from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd, further strengthening its ability to supply refined products.
Nigeria’s domestic movement of petroleum products also expanded significantly. Intra-Nigerian shipments reached 211,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 81,000 bpd in 2025 and 33,000 bpd in 2023.
The refinery’s growing output has also strengthened Nigeria’s position in the European market. Seaborne petroleum product exports to Europe rose to 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026, from 40,000 bpd in 2025 and 15,000 bpd in 2023.
Nigeria’s petroleum exports to other African markets also increased, reaching nearly 120,000 bpd, compared with 89,000 bpd a year earlier.
The rise in exports has coincided with a sharp reduction in petroleum product imports. Nigeria imported nearly 400,000 bpd of petroleum products in 2023, but seaborne imports fell to less than 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026, according to the EIA.
The agency said the growth in Nigerian petroleum product shipments followed the Dangote refinery’s commencement of operations and subsequent expansion, while supply constraints from the Strait of Hormuz also coincided with the increase in regional demand for Nigerian refined products.