Nigeria’s Clean Fuel Imports Plunge 39% as Dangote Refinery Transforms Energy Landscape
Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products have crashed by 39% in the first seven months of 2025, dropping to 230,000 barrels per day as the massive Dangote refinery revolutionizes the country’s energy sector. This dramatic reduction follows a 19% decrease in 2024, marking a fundamental shift in Africa’s largest economy.
The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery has emerged as a game-changer since beginning operations early last year. By June 2025, the facility had ramped up output to 550,000 barrels per day, creating a domestic supply chain that has slashed the country’s dependence on imported refined products.
The most significant impact has been felt in imports from Northern Europe, which historically supplied 60% of Nigeria’s clean petroleum products. These imports have plummeted from an average of 271,000 barrels per day in 2022-2023 to just 48,000 barrels per day in 2025, representing only 21% of total imports.
However, the refinery’s success has created an unexpected twist: Nigeria has become a major crude oil importer to feed the facility. Crude imports have surged from negligible volumes to 179,000 barrels per day year-to-date, reaching 434,000 barrels per day in July 2025, with two-thirds originating from the United States.
Data shows that in July, the refinery’s U.S. crude imports exceeded its use of domestic crude for the first time, as American oil offers advantages including improved supply security, higher yields, and often more competitive pricing.
Dangote officials expect the refinery to transition entirely to locally sourced crude before year-end, with processing efficiency improvements set to boost capacity to 700,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025.
Source: container-news.com
