Nigeria exported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, worth N105.5 billion to Togo in the first quarter of 2026, according to official trade data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The export figure was contained in the NBS Foreign Trade Statistics Report for the first quarter of 2026 and highlights a major shift in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
The report showed that ordinary motor spirit ranked among Nigeria’s key petroleum exports to Togo during the review period. The development comes amid growing reports that Nigerian fuel marketers are increasingly re-importing Dangote refinery products through the offshore ship-to-ship trading hub in Lomé, Togo.
For years, Nigeria relied heavily on imported petrol due to limited domestic refining capacity. However, the operational expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has significantly changed the country’s fuel supply dynamics and strengthened its position in regional energy trade.
According to the NBS report, petrol exports to Togo were valued at N105.50 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Gas oil exports stood at N278.36 billion, while kerosene-type jet fuel exports were valued at N273.18 billion.
The report also revealed that crude petroleum oil exports to Togo amounted to N220.14 billion. In addition, partially refined oil, including crude oil that had undergone primary refinement, was valued at N89.83 billion.
Industry analysts say the emergence of petrol as a major export commodity reflects the growing impact of the Dangote refinery on West Africa’s energy market.
Recent data also indicate that Dangote-produced fuel is increasingly dominating petroleum product movements across the region, with the Lomé offshore trading hub serving as a key distribution centre.
Speaking during a webinar organised by the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, an official of S&P Global Commodity Insights, Matthew Tracey-Cook, said Dangote fuel now accounts for the majority of waterborne petroleum products imported into Nigeria.
“Dangote volumes on a coastal basis do arrive back in Lagos from Lomé. Over the last six months, if you look at the volume of products on a waterborne basis that’s imported directly into Nigeria, Dangote production has become increasingly dominant,” he said.
Tracey-Cook noted that between March and May, more than 70 to 80 per cent of petroleum products imported into Nigeria originated from Dangote refinery supplies that were first routed through coastal trading operations.
According to him, similar trends have also emerged in the diesel market, further underscoring the refinery’s growing influence on regional fuel flows.
He explained that the Lomé offshore hub remains critical to West Africa’s fuel logistics network because it enables large vessels to transfer cargoes to smaller ships capable of accessing ports with limited draft capacity.
“Lomé has become an increasingly important transshipment hub for filling regional shortages across the region. It serves an important purpose, given that many ports in West Africa don’t have the capacity to take a fully laden medium-range vessel,” he stated.
The latest NBS figures suggest that Nigeria is gradually strengthening its role as a regional supplier of refined petroleum products after decades of dependence on imported fuel.
The report further showed that Côte d’Ivoire remained another major destination for Nigerian petroleum exports during the quarter, receiving shipments of crude petroleum oil, gas oil and ordinary motor spirit.
