Nigeria imported an average of two million barrels of crude from Libya, the first of such imports from the North African country ever. Dangote Petroleum Refinery is the major importer of crude into Nigeria.
The import comes amid the high export of crude locally produced in Nigeria to other countries, leaving local refineries with no option but to seek feedstock elsewhere.
Libya Review, a local media outlet in the country, reports that Libya’s crude oil exports reached a new milestone after Nigeria imported Libyan oil for the first time on record, highlighting the growing role of Libyan supplies in regional energy markets amid ongoing disruptions to global trade flows.
According to data published by the Energy Research Unit, Nigeria imported around 64,500 barrels per day of Libyan crude in May 2026, equivalent to approximately two million barrels for the month. “The shipment marks the first recorded Nigerian import of Libyan crude in available historical data dating back to 2013,” the report said.
Recall that there were reports in 2024 that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery was in talks with Libya for the purchase of crude oil. However, the Libyan oil corporation denied negotiating or entering into talks regarding the crude oil supply to any Nigerian refinery.
The statement, written in Arabic in 2024, translates, “The National Oil Corporation denies that it has negotiated or entered into any talks regarding the supply of crude oil to an oil refinery in Nigeria.”
The National Oil Corporation also confirmed then that it was committed to its contracts with its international partners and committed to the legal mechanism for selling Libyan oil raw materials and that it did not work with an immediate sales mechanism.
“In addition, the process of determining raw material prices is carried out through a committee of experts and is approved by the corporation and the Ministry of Oil and Gas,” Libya said in July 2024.
But it appears the agreement has finally been concluded with the supply of 2 million barrels to the Dangote refinery in just one month. By ramping up capacity to 700,000 barrels per day and eyeing 1.4 million barrels per day in 2028, the Dangote refinery is increasingly in need of feedstock from multiple sources.
In 2026, the refinery has already imported cargoes of Angola’s Cabinda and Saxi Batuque crudes, Ghana’s Jubilee crude and, for the first time, Libyan and Guyanese supplies, all of the light sweet or medium sweet variety, according to S&P Global Energy data.
In Nigeria, local refiners have consistently complained of insufficient crude supply due to higher exports. Nigeria exported an estimated 148.9 million barrels of crude oil valued at about N20.22tn in the first five months of 2026, showcasing the scale of the country’s oil export despite persistent concerns over the domestic crude supply obligation.
