Oil
Dangote refinery September exports surpass domestic supply
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery recorded higher daily export volumes than domestic dispatches in September, according to regulatory data.
Key points
- Average daily exports reached 54.63 million litres across three key petroleum products in September.
- Domestic receipts fell to 39.98 million litres per day during the same month.
- The facility operated at 105.98 per cent of its installed capacity, processing roughly 689,000 barrels daily.
What happened
According to a report published by Punch, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery experienced a shift in its distribution pattern during September, with overseas shipments overtaking domestic supplies for the first time across the reviewed two-month period. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority revealed that combined daily exports of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel climbed to 54.63 million litres. This marked a 37.33 per cent increase compared to the 39.78 million litres recorded in August.
Conversely, local dispatches dropped by 22.08 per cent, falling from 51.31 million litres daily in August to 39.98 million litres in September. The facility achieved an overall operational utilisation rate of 105.98 per cent of its baseline capacity. This high level of output was sustained even though crude receipts averaged approximately 618,000 barrels per day, requiring the plant to draw down on existing inventories to maintain production levels.
Product breakdown figures showed that petrol output increased, yet local receipts declined while export volumes rose significantly. Diesel production similarly expanded, with overseas shipments nearly doubling the quantities delivered into the domestic market. Aviation fuel exports constituted the largest share of foreign dispatches, accounting for a vast majority of the product's total evacuation from the plant.
Why it matters
The growing volume of petroleum exports from a major domestic asset highlights ongoing structural challenges within Nigeria's downstream sector. Fuel exports accounted for 85.9 per cent of merchandise exports in 2025 according to World Bank figures, underscoring the nation's heavy reliance on hydrocarbon trade. While increased refining output represents a major milestone for local industrial capacity, policymakers and energy investors remain focused on how output is balanced between international revenue generation and domestic supply security. With national petrol stock sufficiency remaining below regulatory benchmarks in September, ensuring that domestic processing translates into adequate local availability and stable pricing remains a central priority for regulators and market participants alike.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Crude benchmarks move budgets, currencies and inflation in producer and importer countries alike. For economies such as Nigeria, where fuels dominate exports, production and refining decisions move the whole economy.
85.9% of Nigeria’s merchandise exports were fuels in 2025Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
