Nigeria significantly increased its crude oil imports from the United States in 2025, bringing in a total of 42.13 million barrels during the first ten months of the year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This represents a sharp rise of approximately 167% compared with the 15.79 million barrels imported over the same period in 2024.
The spike underscores a growing reliance on U.S. crude, driven by rising domestic demand and challenges within Nigeria’s refining sector. While imports in 2024 were modest and erratic, 2025 saw more consistent and higher monthly volumes.
February began with 3.11 million barrels, slightly below the same month in 2024, but imports accelerated rapidly in the following months, peaking at 9.16 million barrels in June, a nearly ninefold increase compared to June 2024.
Other months, including August, September, and October, maintained high import levels, reflecting sustained demand. Analysts link the surge to the needs of Nigeria’s refining industry, particularly private operators such as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has increasingly relied on U.S. light sweet crude for its complex processing units.
Despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest oil producer, the country continues to face a paradox: exporting crude while importing refined products due to underperforming state-owned refineries. The Dangote refinery, intended to reduce dependence on imports, still relies heavily on U.S. crude to maintain operations.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) reported that between January and August 2025, 67.66 million barrels of crude were supplied to local refiners, including modular and state-owned facilities. However, this fell short of the 123.48 million barrels requested by domestic processors, leaving a significant gap in supply.
The mismatch between domestic supply and refinery demand has pushed operators to favor imports, with U.S. barrels accounting for roughly 60% of Dangote’s intake in July, surpassing Nigerian crude grades such as Bonny Light, Amenam, and Escravos.
