Nigeria’s average daily petrol imports fell by 26% in August 2026 as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery sharply increased its contribution to domestic supply, according to data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on September 24, 2026.
The NMDPRA’s August 2026 Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Sector factsheet showed that average daily petrol imports declined to 14.6 million litres in August from 19.7 million litres in July.
At the same time, domestic petrol receipts increased by 39% to 35.9 million litres per day from 25.8 million litres in July. Total petrol receipts also rose by 11% to 50.5 million litres per day from 45.5 million litres.
The Dangote refinery accounted for about 71% of total petrol receipts in August, supplying an average 35.87 million litres per day to the domestic market, according to the NMDPRA data. BusinessDay reported on September 24, 2026, that the development marked a significant increase in the refinery’s contribution to Nigeria’s fuel supply.
The refinery operated at an average 105.21% capacity utilisation during the month and produced an average 41.94 million litres of petrol daily. It also produced 18.01 million litres of diesel and 24.48 million litres of aviation fuel per day, according to the regulator.
As of August 31, the Dangote refinery held 360.4 million litres of petrol, 137.2 million litres of diesel and 133.3 million litres of aviation fuel, giving it combined stocks of 630.9 million litres.
Despite the increase in petrol receipts, recorded domestic petrol consumption fell by 14% in August to 41.5 million litres per day from 48.3 million litres in July. The NMDPRA said its consumption estimate was based on volumes trucked into the domestic market.
Petrol stock sufficiency consequently improved marginally to 22.9 days in August from 22.4 days in July.
The shift was also evident in the diesel market. Average daily diesel imports plunged by 84% to 1.3 million litres in August from 7.9 million litres in July, while domestic diesel supply fell by 16% to 13.2 million litres per day.
Crude receipts by domestic refineries, meanwhile, increased by 17% to 683,000 barrels per day in August from 585,000 barrels per day in July.
The NMDPRA said domestic refineries received 137.98 million barrels of crude feedstock between January and August 2026. Of that volume, 109.88 million barrels, representing 79.64%, came from domestic crude, while 28.10 million barrels, or 20.36%, were imported seaborne crude.
The increased domestic refining activity occurred while Nigeria’s three major state-owned refineries remained idle. The NMDPRA recorded no production from the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries during August.
The August figures point to a further shift in Nigeria’s refined petroleum supply, with domestic petrol deliveries exceeding imports as the Dangote refinery increased its role in the market.
