Nigeria’s crude oil output climbed to 1.459 million barrels per day in January 2026, maintaining its status as Africa’s top oil producer, though still below its OPEC-assigned quota.

The figures were revealed in OPEC’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report released Wednesday.

While the data shows modest month-on-month production growth, it also highlights Nigeria’s ongoing challenge in meeting its designated output ceiling.

The rise points to a gradual recovery in production, even as structural and operational challenges continue to weigh on the oil sector.

Despite maintaining its position as Africa’s leading producer, Nigeria has now fallen short of its OPEC quota for six consecutive months.

Nigeria’s crude oil production rose to 1.459 million barrels per day (bpd) in January 2026, up 37,000 bpd from December’s 1.422 million bpd, according to data from direct communications between OPEC and Nigerian authorities.

The country’s OPEC-assigned quota remains 1.5 million bpd, leaving January’s output roughly 50,000 bpd below target.

Secondary sources cited by OPEC put Nigeria’s production slightly higher at 1.47 million bpd, while Libya ranked second in Africa with 1.37 million bpd during the same period.

The difference between figures from direct communications and secondary sources reflects variations in tracking methods, a common feature in OPEC reporting.

Over the past year, Nigeria has struggled to consistently meet its OPEC production quota, weighed down by security and infrastructure challenges.

Oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and years of underinvestment in upstream facilities have limited production capacity.

As a result, the country has now fallen short of its 1.5 million bpd quota for six consecutive months, with the last time meeting it being July 2025.