….as DCSO framework drives shift to domestic crude supply
Dangote refinery hits 99.12% capacity, supplies 40.7ml petrol into Nigerian market, exports 17.1ml
Oredola Adeola
Out of the 18.36 million barrels of crude oil processed by Dangote Refinery and other domestic refineries in April 2026, 17.96 million barrels were sourced locally, representing about 97.8%, while imported crude accounted for 0.14 million barrels, representing about 0.8%.
The figures indicate a strong shift toward domestic crude supply within Nigeria’s refining sector, aligning with the implementation objectives of the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) framework under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which is aimed at prioritising crude allocation to domestic refineries.
The data was contained in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s recently released fact sheet on the state of the midstream and downstream sector for April 2026, as analysed and obtained by Advisors Reports.
In comparison, the 17.96 million barrels of locally sourced crude recorded in April 2026 stands as the highest since January, when 8.83 million barrels were supplied to refineries, followed by 8.86 million barrels in February and 11.49 million barrels in March 2026, reflecting a steady month-on-month increase in domestic crude allocation.
Crude oil importation, on the other hand, fluctuated significantly over the period, rising from 0.71 million barrels in January to 4.25 million barrels in February and peaking at 9.43 million barrels in March, before declining sharply to 0.41 million barrels thereafter.
Crude oil producers in Nigeria operating under the transactions continue to operate on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis have in first quarter of 2026 into April have been exceeding the target by offering more DCSO rules this was according to a recent release by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
On the petroleum product side, Dangote Refinery supplied 40.7 million litres of petrol into the domestic market in April 2026, while importers contributed an additional 3.7 million litres per day to national supply.
The refinery operated at an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 percent, producing 53.6 million litres per day, with closing stock estimated at 10.6 million litres per day, alongside domestic supply of 40.7 million litres per day and exports of 17.1 million litres.
This compares with March 2026 output of 48.2 million litres per day, where domestic supply stood at 34.2 million litres per day and marketers imported about 5.9 million litres per day.
