Nigeria exported about 33.23 million barrels of crude oil to the US of America, between January and August 2025, with estimated $2.57 billion worth to earn the nation Africa’s largest exporter of crude oil to the US.
This growth underscores rising relevance within the U.S. power provide chain whilst its home refining capability expands and reshapes regional oil flows.
Knowledge launched by the U.S. Mission present that between January and August 2025, Nigeria shipped 33.23 million barrels of crude oil to the US, valued at about $2.57 billion, a quantity that represented greater than half of all crude oil exports from Africa to the U.S. through the interval.
This considerably positioned Nigeria nicely forward of different African producers supplying the American market.
In a put up on its official X deal with, the U.S. Mission described Nigeria because the main African exporter of crude oil to the US over the interval, noting that the sturdy commerce relationship “creates jobs and drives prosperity on either side of the Atlantic.”
The sturdy export efficiency comes at a time of notable adjustments in Nigeria–U.S. petroleum commerce.
In a historic reversal earlier this yr, Nigeria briefly imported extra crude oil from the US than it exported, in response to figures from the U.S. Vitality Info Administration (EIA).
This occurred in February and March 2025, reflecting a mix of lowered U.S. East Coast demand for Nigerian crude and rising home crude necessities inside Nigeria.
The EIA information present that U.S. crude exports to Nigeria climbed to 111,000 barrels per day in February and 169,000 b/d in March. Over the identical interval, U.S. imports from Nigeria dropped to 54,000 b/d and 72,000 b/d, respectively, from 133,000 b/d in January. The shift highlighted how shortly Nigeria’s oil commerce dynamics are evolving as native refining capability expands.
On the centre of this transition is the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest, with a nameplate capability of 650,000 barrels per day.
The refinery started processing crude oil in January 2024 and is predicted to succeed in full capability quickly. Its rising urge for food for crude has altered Nigeria’s inside provide steadiness, quickly decreasing export volumes at sure factors whereas rising imports to optimize feedstock blends and logistics.
Trying forward, analysts anticipate Nigeria’s crude exports to the U.S. to rise once more in 2026, because the Dangote Refinery expands its markets for refined petroleum merchandise, together with gasoline, diesel, and jet gas.
The enlargement of refined product exports can also be anticipated to cut back Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuels, release international trade, and enhance the general effectivity of the oil sector.
For the U.S., elevated imports of Nigerian refined merchandise would add one other layer to the power relationship, shifting a part of the commerce from crude-only flows to higher-value petroleum merchandise.
Nigeria’s place as the highest African crude provider to the U.S. reinforces its strategic position in transatlantic power commerce at a time when international oil flows are being reshaped by geopolitics, refinery closures in components of the West, and altering demand patterns.
Nigerian crude, which is comparatively gentle and low in sulphur, stays engaging to U.S. refiners searching for flexibility and cleaner feedstocks.
For Nigeria, sustained demand from the U.S. offers a important supply of international trade and income, supporting public funds and funding in upstream manufacturing, pipelines, and export terminals. It additionally strengthens bilateral financial ties, opening the door to deeper cooperation in power infrastructure, expertise, and downstream investments.
Extra broadly, the 2025 export figures level to the resilience of Nigeria’s oil sector regardless of persistent challenges, together with manufacturing disruptions, safety issues, and international worth volatility.
Crude oil manufacturing has notably elevated over the previous yr, with about 2mbpd being focused in 2026
