The United Kingdom imported £1.02bn worth of refined petroleum products from Nigeria in the 12 months to June 2026, as the Dangote Refinery boosts the country’s capacity to supply processed fuel to international markets.
According to the UK government’s Trade and Investment Factsheet, published on November 6, refined petroleum products made up 53.5 per cent of Britain’s merchandise imports from Nigeria during the period. Their value more than doubled compared with the previous 12 months, making them Nigeria’s largest export category to the UK.
In contrast, British crude oil imports from Nigeria fell by 56.2 per cent to £550.3m. Refined products were therefore worth about £467m more than crude exports.
Combined, crude oil and refined petroleum accounted for £1.57bn, representing 82.4 per cent of the UK’s total goods imports from Nigeria.
Other imports included £179.5m worth of gas, £40.3m in coffee, tea and cocoa products, and £30m in beverages and tobacco. Overall, Nigeria’s merchandise exports to Britain increased by 10.4 per cent to approximately £1.9bn.
The shift comes as the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery expands its operations and international sales.
However, the UK continued exporting refined petroleum to Nigeria, recording £772.3m in sales during the period. Although the products represented 51.5 per cent of Britain’s merchandise exports to Nigeria, their value dropped by 42.7 per cent from the previous year.
Based on the reported figures, Nigeria recorded a refined petroleum trade surplus of about £245m with the UK.
The US Energy Information Administration also reported growing Nigerian fuel exports in August, noting that seaborne petroleum product exports had increased sevenfold since 2023.
“With the increased supply of petroleum products in Nigeria from the country’s largest refinery, imports fell, exports increased, and Nigeria became more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products,” the agency said.
It added that Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum exports averaged 350,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 46,000 barrels per day in 2023. Exports to Europe also rose to 130,000 barrels daily from 40,000 in 2025.
Meanwhile, the UK recently exempted Nigeria from stricter compliance requirements under new sanctions targeting fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries. The restrictions, which took effect on May 20, were introduced to prevent such products from entering Western markets through third countries.
