On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported that U.S. crude oil exports to Nigeria and other African nations fell for the fifth consecutive month to 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in July 2025, the lowest since March 2022, according to its August 2025 Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), as cited by Vanguard and Nairametrics. The decline, attributed to reduced flows to Europe and Africa, particularly Nigeria, coincides with increased local production and the operational ramp-up of Nigeria’s 650,000 bpd Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has reduced reliance on imports (BusinessDay). OPEC noted Nigeria’s crude oil output rose 11% year-on-year to 1.559 million bpd in July 2025 from 1.386 million bpd in July 2024, marking the highest monthly level this year (ThisDay).
Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), reported that Nigeria’s oil production peaked at 1.8 million bpd in July, averaging 1.78 million bpd, driven by the Project 1 MMBOPD Incremental initiative and improved security measures (Nairametrics). The NUPRC is optimizing production through the Maximum Efficient Rate framework and addressing water management to minimize disruptions. Despite Nigeria’s 37.28 billion barrels of proven reserves (NUPRC, 2025), challenges like pipeline vandalism, costing 400,000 bpd, persist (Nigeria Oil Digest). X posts from @EnergyWatchNG (August 20, 2025) highlighted the production gains, while @Naija_Activist noted that Dangote’s operations, currently at 550,000 bpd, could further reduce import dependency (Vanguard). These developments signal Nigeria’s push toward energy self-sufficiency amidst global market shifts.
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