NMDPRA licence issuance pushes fuel imports up by 9%

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s issuance of import licences has pushed petrol imports up by 9 per cent in July.

Data from the NMDPRA factsheet released on Monday showed that fuel imports rose to 19.7 million litres per day from 18.1 million litres per day recorded in the previous month.

The data also indicated that PMS supply to the domestic market by Dangote Refinery dropped by 21 per cent in July to 25.8 million litres per day from 32.5 million litres per day.

This development comes at a time when the country’s daily petrol consumption dropped by 25 per cent to 35.7 million litres per day from 47.4 million litres per day.

Also, Automotive Gas Oil supply to the domestic market by Dangote Refinery dropped by 3 per cent to 15.7 million litres per day in July from 16.2 million litres per day, while imports stood at 7.9 million litres per day, compared with zero in the previous month.

Recall that in June, the NMDPRA issued import licences to marketers, including AA Rano, AYM Shafa, among others, covering petrol and diesel for the third quarter of 2026.