In March 2026, Nigeria became a net exporter of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals exporting 44,000 barrels per day (b/d) of the product.
This allowed the country to earn fresh foreign exchange (FX) to help boost the value of the Nigerian Naira in the currency market, which, in turn, will strengthen the economy.
In a statement on Monday, Dangote Refinery said it exported gasoline to East Africa for the first time, delivering a 317,000‑barrel cargo to Mozambique. The shipment reflects growing regional demand as East African buyers diversify supply sources away from the Middle East Gulf amid ongoing supply disruptions. A further gasoline cargo from the refinery is scheduled for delivery to Beira, Mozambique, in April.
Before now, Nigeria relied heavily on imported refined petroleum products from across the world, but this seems to be changing, especially at this time, the globe is experiencing supply disruptions due to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
The March export milestone underscores Nigeria’s accelerating progress toward self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products and strengthens its ambition to become a competitive supplier in the global downstream energy market.
Data from market intelligence firm Kpler showed that Nigeria’s gasoline imports fell sharply to 41,000 b/d in March, the lowest level ever recorded. At the same time, crude oil supply to the Dangote facility climbed to approximately 565,000 b/d, the second-highest intake since the 650,000 b/d-capacity refinery began operations in late 2023. The figures point to strong processing rates and rising product yields across the complex.