The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) doubled its crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery to 10 cargoes during March 2026. This increase from the typical five cargoes per month was confirmed by Aliko Dangote as a measure to boost domestic fuel availability.
Out of the 10 cargoes received in March, six were supplied in naira under the “naira-for-crude” arrangement, while four were purchased in dollars.
May Allocation Increase: Reports indicate that NNPC has also raised the official allocation for May loading to seven cargoes, up from the standard baseline of five.
Despite these increases, the refinery requires between 13 and 15 cargoes monthly (roughly 19.77 million barrels) to meet full national demand and operate at its 650,000 barrels per day capacity.
Limited local supply has frequently forced the refinery to import crude at higher international costs, contributing to recent fluctuations in ex-depot petrol prices.
Regional Strategy: While focusing on domestic needs, the refinery has also begun exporting refined products to other African countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon to help stabilize regional markets.
Note by Alessandro Bazzoni