Nigeria’s import of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, dropped to a record low in June, largely due to increased production from the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery, according to new data from Kpler cited in a report by Argus on Tuesday.
The report shows that rising output from the Lagos-based refinery sharply curtailed Nigeria’s demand for petrol imports from the European Union, United Kingdom, and Norway—countries that have historically dominated refined fuel supply to Nigeria.
Kpler’s tracking data revealed that June recorded the lowest petrol shipments from Europe to Nigeria since tracking began, underlining the growing impact of local refining capacity on the country’s fuel import profile.
The decline in Nigerian demand also dragged overall West African gasoline imports from Europe to a four-month low of 926,000 metric tonnes, down from 1.315 million metric tonnes in May, representing a 20% year-on-year decline.
Significantly, Nigeria—long the largest gasoline importer in West Africa—slipped behind Togo in import volume last month as the Dangote refinery reached its highest monthly run rate since coming online.
The shift signals a turning point in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and reinforces the strategic importance of local refining to energy security and foreign exchange conservation.
