Angola is still maintaining its status as Africa’s top oil producer, five months after it over took Nigeria in spite of the 147,400 barrels per day increase in the latter’s production.

According to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in its Monthly Oil Market Report for August, crude oil production from Nigeria was at 1.527 million bpd in July compared to the 1.379 million bpd in June. Amongst the OPEC members, the country saw the biggest increase in output in July, followed by Saudi Arabia, whose production increased by 123,000 bpd to 10.67 million bpd that month. Exports and production of Nigeria’s Forcados crude grade remains shut. Shell had on February 21, 2016 declared a force majeure on the grade as a result of a spill on the subsea pipeline.

In March, the country lost its position to Angola when its production dropped to 1.677 million bpd, compared to Angola’s 1.782 million bpd. Angola’s oil output increased to 1.761 million bpd in July from 1.752 million bpd in June. OPEC’s December report revealed that the country had in November 2015, overtaken Nigeria as it produced 1.722 million bpd, compared to 1.607 million bpd produced by Nigeria.

The cartel’s overall crude oil production in July reached 33.11 million bpd, an increase of 46,000 bpd from the previous month. OPEC said in the report that crude oil output rose mostly from Iraq, while production in Nigeria showed the biggest drop, PUNCH news reports. It added that Nigeria’s crude oil production dropped by 41,000 bpd to 1.508 million bpd in July.

“Africa’s oil supply is projected to average 2.11 million bpd in 2016, a decline of 30,000 bpd year-on-year and revised down by 10,000 bpd from the previous report. In 2016, oil production from Congo is only expected to grow by 30,000 bpd to average 310,000 bpd, while output in other African countries – despite increasing output from Ghana’s production start-up in the ‘TEN’ project and production ramp-up in Jubilee field in the second half of 2016, will decline or to be stagnant in 2016,” OPEC said.

Anita Fatunji