Nigeria’s petrol imports rose to 20.6 million litres per day in August 2026, even as supply from domestic refineries increased to 29.7ml/d, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

The August figure represents a 4.6 per cent increase in petrol imports from the 19.7ml/d recorded in July.

Domestic refinery supply rose by 15.1 per cent over the same period, from 25.8ml/d in July.

The figures were contained in the NMDPRA’s August 2026 Midstream and Downstream Sector Factsheet, released on Thursday.

Domestic refinery petrol supply had declined for three consecutive months before recovering in August.

It fell from 41.5ml/d in May to 32.5ml/d in June and 25.8ml/d in July, before climbing to 29.7ml/d in August.

Despite the recovery, August’s domestic supply stayed below the 40.7ml/d recorded in both January and April.

Petrol imports, meanwhile, have risen steadily since June, when they stood at 18.1ml/d.

They increased to 19.7ml/d in July before reaching 20.6ml/d in August.

However, the August import volume remained below the 24.8ml/d recorded in January.

NMDPRA data showed that petrol imports were significantly lower between February and May. They stood at 3.0ml/d in February, 5.9ml/d in March, 3.7ml/d in April and 5.9ml/d in May.

The latest figures show domestic refinery supply recovering at the same time as imported petrol volumes are rising. This points to a changing supply mix in the downstream petroleum market.