Dangote Refinery Drives 600% Rise in Nigeria’s Fuel Exports — EIA

Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports have surged roughly 600 per cent since 2023 after output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery expanded, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Monday.

EIA said the country’s seaborne petroleum product exports have surged sevenfold since 2023 after improved output at the Dangote refinery reshaped regional fuel flows, Reuters reported.

EIA cited Vortexa shipping data showing that seaborne product shipments averaged 561,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of 2026, up from an annual average of 79,000 bpd in 2023. Exports accounted for about 350,000 bpd in that quarter, against a 2023 annual average of 46,000 bpd.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which began operations in 2024 in the Lekki Free Zone, is now the country’s largest refinery. Its output expansion and maintenance completion in February 2026 boosted crude distillation capacity from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd, the EIA said, helping raise domestic product supplies and reduce import dependence.

Intra‑country shipments also climbed, reaching 211,000 bpd in Q2 2026 versus 81,000 bpd in 2025 and 33,000 bpd in 2023. Exports to Europe increased to 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026 from 40,000 bpd a year earlier, while shipments to other African markets rose to nearly 120,000 bpd from 89,000 bpd.

The timing of the refinery’s expansion coincided with supply constraints in the Strait of Hormuz, which the EIA said helped accelerate Nigeria’s product exports. Nigeria’s seaborne product imports, which were nearly 400,000 bpd in 2023, fell to under 130,000 bpd in Q2 2026.

Analysts said the shift improves Nigeria’s fuel self‑sufficiency and positions the country as a growing exporter of refined products, though long‑term impacts will depend on sustained refinery performance, regional demand and global shipping conditions.