Nigeria’s U.S. Crude Imports Surge 101% in 2025 Amid Local Refinery Shortfalls
Nigeria’s crude oil imports from the United States skyrocketed in the first eight months of 2025, rising 101% compared to the same period last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The country imported 31.69 million barrels between February and August, up from 15.79 million barrels in 2024, with no imports recorded in January of either year.
Monthly import figures fluctuated but trended sharply upward midyear. Imports fell 13.8% in February to 3.11 million barrels but rebounded strongly in March with a 53.5% increase to 5.25 million barrels. April saw a 32.3% rise to 2.04 million barrels, while May imports jumped 82.4% to 3.79 million barrels. The most dramatic surge occurred in June, when imports soared to 9.16 million barrels — a staggering 782% increase from June 2024.
The rising reliance on U.S. crude reflects Nigeria’s persistent domestic supply challenges and slow expansion in local refining capacity. Light sweet U.S. crude has become the preferred feedstock for complex refining operations, particularly at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery near Lagos, which increasingly depends on imported barrels to scale production efficiently.
Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria continues to struggle with underperforming state-owned refineries. Local refiners received just 67.66 million barrels of crude between January and August 2025, falling short of the 123.48 million barrels they requested — a gap of 45%. Regulatory frameworks, including the Petroleum Industry Act and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation, aim to prioritize domestic sourcing, but producers often favor exports for foreign exchange earnings.
Data from commodities analytics firm Kpler shows that the Dangote refinery imported an average of 590,000 barrels per day in July, with U.S. crude accounting for 60% of the total. This marked the first time U.S. supply exceeded domestic crude intake at the facility, driven by technical preferences, pricing, and challenges in securing local barrels. The trend underscores Nigeria’s ongoing dependence on foreign crude amid ambitious local refinery projects.
source: Business day