Nigeria's crude oil exports surge to ₦29 trillion in 2023, marking a record high

Crude oil exports, which made up 81% of Nigeria's export value in 2023 have increased in three consecutive years since 2021. After a 36% decline in 2020, exports increased by 53% in 2021, 46% in 2022, and 37% in 2023 to reach ₦29 trillion.

Source:

National Bureau of Statistics

Period:

2008 - 2023
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Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran hold over 50% of the world’s 1.57 trillion barrels in recoverable crude oil reserves, with Nigeria among top 10
  • The world’s total proven recoverable crude oil reserves stand at 1.57 trillion barrels in 2024.
  • Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran collectively hold over 50% of these reserves, with 303.2B, 267.2B, and 208.6B barrels respectively.
  • Nigeria ranks 10th globally with 37.3 billion barrels, placing it ahead of other major producers like Kazakhstan, China, and Brazil.
  • The majority of the largest reserves are concentrated in Middle Eastern and South American countries, with only a few top holders located in North America, Africa, and Asia.

Libya tops list as African fuel prices remain below $1 in the top 9 African nations
  • Libya maintains its position as the cheapest fuel market in Africa with just $0.028 per litre.
  • Nine out of ten countries have fuel prices under $1 per litre, signalling widespread affordability across much of the continent.
  • Nigeria, despite partial subsidy reforms, still ranks among the cheapest with fuel priced at $0.586 per litre.
  • DR Congo is the only country in the top 10 where fuel costs exceed $1 per litre, standing at $1.039.
  • Ethiopia and Liberia are the only non-oil-producing countries among Africa’s top 10 cheapest fuel markets.

Following subsidy removal, Nigeria’s average daily fuel consumption collapsed from 66.7m litres to 47.5m litres
  • Nigeria’s daily fuel consumption peaked at 66.7 million litres in 2022.
  • Fuel consumption fell to 47.5 million litres in 2023 after the subsidy removal.
  • Consumption rebounded slightly to 51.8 million litres in 2024, but remains far below 2022 levels.
  • Between 2015 and 2022, consumption grew from 48.7m to 66.7m litres daily.
  • 2021 saw a notable increase to 61.9m litres, likely due to economic recovery post-COVID.
  • The lowest recorded consumption in the 10-year period was 47.5m litres in 2023.
  • The post-subsidy dip marks the largest single-year decline in consumption within the observed period.

Dangote Refinery led with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, representing almost 67% of Nigeria’s total functional refining capacity in early 2025
Key takeaways:
  • As of January to June 2025, Nigeria had nine operational refineries.
  • Dangote Petroleum Refinery is the largest, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd).
  • The total combined capacity of all functional refineries is almost 975,000 bpd.
  • Government-owned refineries, Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt (old), collectively have a capacity of 295,000 bpd.
  • Out of 27 licensed refineries by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), only nine were operational during this period.
  • Other operational refineries such as Aradel, OPAC, Edo, Waltersmith, and Duport Midstream collectively have a capacity of 29,500 bpd.

Africa's crude oil producers: Only 4 countries ever made it past 1 million barrels a day since 1965
  • Only 4 African countries ever crossed 1 million b/d:   Libya, Nigeria, Algeria, and Angola.
  • Libya was Africa’s top producer in the 1970s and 2000s. At its peak, Libya did over 3 million b/d. No other African country has touched that.
  • Nigeria peaked in 2005 with 2.5 million b/d. But since then, it’s been unstable due to theft and pipeline issues.
  • Angola and Algeria have stayed around or above 1 million b/d for long periods, especially post-2000.
  • Despite oil discoveries, most African countries never got close to 1 million b/d: countries like Chad, Sudan, and Gabon, while some peaked under 500k.

After the drop in 2020 due to COVID-19, Oando Plc's profit before tax has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels
Key Takeaways:
  • Despite recent gains, Oando Plc's earnings before tax have declined by 222% over the past decade.
  • Major losses occurred in 2019 and 2020, with a rebound in 2021 and 2023.
  • The company demonstrated remarkable resilience by recovering to ₦103 billion profit in 2023.
  • The earnings before tax in 2024 fell by 54% from 2023.
  • The year-on-year growth rate from 2015 to 2024 was shown to be negative despite recording ₦47.8 billion in 2024, as against -₦39.1 billion in 2015.

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