• Gasoline imports fall to $10 billion from $14 billion
• Dangote refinery boosts supply, but imports still dominate consumption

Nigeria's fuel import bill fell sharply in 2025 as domestic refining capacity expanded. Gasoline imports dropped to around $10 billion in 2025 from $14 billion in 2024, according to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) data cited by local media on Monday.

In naira terms, fuel imports totaled 8.96 trillion in 2025, down 41.9% year-on-year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. Reuters attributed the decline in part to the launch of the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote refinery, Africa’s largest, which has begun supplying refined products to the domestic market.

The government has also revised its fuel supply policy. In mid-March, Agence Ecofin reported that authorities had moved to restrict gasoline import licenses to support local production. Despite the drop, imports remained the main source of supply, accounting for 62.47% of national gasoline consumption in 2025, according to BusinessDay.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest crude oil producer, recorded average crude and condensate output of 1.63 million barrels per day in 2025. Local refineries supplied 7.54 billion liters of fuel during the year, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

In late October, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Ltd) said it was seeking investors to continue refurbishing its refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, which have a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day. The company said it favors partnerships to modernize the facilities rather than outright sales.

Separately, NNPC said in February 2026 it plans to develop a 10,000-barrel-per-day condensate refinery in Edo State in partnership with the state government.

Abdel-Latif Boureima