Nigeria’s refined petroleum product exports have increased more than sevenfold since 2023, driven largely by the growing production capacity of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) has said.

The EIA said Nigeria exported an average of 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) of petroleum products to international markets in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 46,000 bpd in 2023.

Total seaborne petroleum product shipments stood at an average of 561,000 bpd during the quarter, compared with 79,000 bpd in 2023.

The agency attributed the sharp increase to the start of operations at the Dangote refinery in January 2024 and the subsequent expansion of its capacity.

The rise in domestic refining has also reduced Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products. Seaborne imports fell from nearly 400,000 bpd in 2023 to less than 130,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026.

The EIA said the development has made Nigeria more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products, while increasing the volume of fuel available for distribution across the country.

Domestic shipments between Nigerian ports also rose significantly. Intra-Nigerian petroleum product shipments averaged 211,000 bpd in Q2 2026, compared with 33,000 bpd in 2023 and 81,000 bpd in 2025.

Nigeria has also strengthened its position as an exporter to international markets, particularly Europe.

According to the EIA, Nigerian petroleum product exports to Europe averaged 130,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, up from 15,000 bpd in 2023. Exports to other African countries also reached nearly 120,000 bpd during the period.

The growth came amid tighter global petroleum product supplies, including disruptions affecting trade through the Strait of Hormuz, which increased demand for refined products from alternative suppliers such as Nigeria.

The Dangote refinery’s crude processing capacity increased from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd after maintenance and expansion work completed in February 2026.

The refinery could expand further under Dangote Group’s plan to add another 750,000 bpd crude distillation unit by 2028. If completed, the expansion would raise the facility’s total crude processing capacity to about 1.45 million bpd.