Thee Dangote Petroleum Refinery supplied about 62 per cent of Nigeria’s Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), surpassing fuel importers in January 2026.

The latest fact sheet from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority indicates a growing reliance on local refining capacity, pointing to a potential decline in the nation’s dependence on imported fuel.

The NMDPRA’s State of the Downstream Sector report for January 2026 notes that total average daily PMS supply reached 64.9 million litres.

Of the total supply, domestic refineries, mainly Dangote, currently Nigeria’s sole petrol-producing refinery, contributed 40.1 million litres per day, while imports by Oil Marketing Companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, totaled 24.8 million litres per day.

For the first time in the 13-month period covered by the report (January 2025–January 2026), domestic production surpassed imports, reversing a long-standing trend in which foreign supplies dominated the market.

The NMDPRA credited the increase to improved output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, which raised PMS supply from 32 million litres per day in December 2025 to 40.1 million litres per day in January 2026.

The 25% month-on-month growth underscores the refinery’s operational expansion, positioning it at the center of Nigeria’s drive for fuel self-sufficiency.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Refinery, David Bird, stated that the refinery now has the capacity to supply over 50 million litres of petrol per day.

The NMDPRA fact sheet offers a detailed monthly breakdown of PMS supply, showing a volatile but steadily rising trend for domestic refining.

In the early months of 2025, total daily supply ranged from 43.7 million litres in January to 57.1 million litres in May, with domestic refineries contributing just 18 to 25 million litres per day—equivalent to roughly 32–47 per cent of the market.

The milestone comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, which previously relied entirely on petrol imports before the Dangote Refinery began production.

The refinery, the world’s largest single-train facility with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day—started PMS production in September 2024 and has been steadily scaling up toward full operational stability.