Nigeria Records 61.7m Barrels in U.S. Crude Imports as Refineries Struggle for Local Feedstock
Nigeria’s energy landscape is witnessing a historic structural shift, with the country importing approximately 61.7 million barrels of crude oil from the United States between January 2024 and January 2026.
This data, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), marks a stark reversal of nearly a decade of minimal trade and highlights a growing reliance on foreign feedstock to power domestic refining.
The surge in imports aligns with the operational takeoff of the Dangote Refinery.
Despite Nigeria’s status as a leading global exporter—shipping out 306.7 million barrels between January and October 2025 alone—domestic refineries are increasingly forced to look abroad.
Business mogul Aliko Dangote has previously noted that foreign imports are a necessity to bridge the gap between the refinery’s massive 19-million-barrel monthly requirement and the limited domestic supply allocated to local plants.
The importation trend peaked in June 2025, where inflows hit over 300,000 barrels per day. This period reflects a "new model" for Nigeria: transitioning from importing expensive refined petroleum products to importing the raw crude itself for local processing.
“The situation marks a shift from Nigeria’s long-standing dependence on imported refined petroleum products to a new model—importing crude for local processing,” industry analysts observed.
However, experts warn that as long as 70% of Nigeria’s production remains committed to international buyers, the imbalance will continue to strain the country’s energy value chain and operational costs for local refiners.
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