Nigeria exports N105bn petrol to Togo in three months

Nigeria exported Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, valued at N105.5 billion to Togo in the first quarter of 2026. This significant export figure, detailed in the National Bureau of Statistics' Foreign Trade Statistics Report, underscores a major transformation in Nigeria's downstream petroleum sector.

For years, Nigeria relied heavily on imported petrol due to insufficient domestic refining capacity. However, the recent increase in refining output, particularly from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has altered fuel supply dynamics across the West African sub-region. The data also revealed substantial exports of gas oil (N278.36 billion), kerosene-type jet fuel (N273.18 billion), and crude petroleum oil (N220.14 billion) to Togo during the same period.

These export figures emerge amid revelations that Nigerian fuel marketers are increasingly re-importing refined petroleum products from the Dangote refinery. These products are channeled through an offshore ship-to-ship trading hub in Lomé, Togo. An official from S&P Global Commodity Insights noted that Dangote-produced fuel now constitutes the majority of waterborne petroleum products imported back into Nigeria, with Togo's Lomé hub playing a strategic role in regional distribution.

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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.