Nigeria has suspended gasoline import licences, allowing gasoline imports only when local production cannot meet demand (Business Insider Africa, 10/03/2026).
The decision will affect oil marketing companies such as TotalEnergies, Conoil, and MRS Nigeria, which were until then authorised to import gasoline and accounted for about 25% of gasoline imports in January 2026. In addition, it will strengthen the position of Dangote Group, which owns and operates the 650 kb/d Dangote refinery in Lekki, and which provided nearly all the gasoline supplied in the country in February 2026, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In 2024, Nigeria was the world’s fifth largest importer of motor gasoline, covering the entire domestic consumption (277 kb/d). Dangote Group commissioned its refinery in 2023, in a context where the three other large refineries operated by the state-owned oil and gas company NNPC are shut down.
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