South Africa emerges new leader as Nigeria’s petrol imports plummet..
Nigeria has officially ceded its long-held title as Africa’s largest importer of refined petroleum products, thanks to the ramped-up operations at the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery, according to a new report by energy consultancy CITAC.
This means South Africa has taken the lead in fuel imports. The report, released on Wednesday, shows Nigeria imported 3.1 million metric tonnes of refined petroleum products in the first quarter of 2025, while South Africa imported 4.2 million tonnes in the same period.
This development comes just months after the Dangote refinery, the world’s largest single-train refining facility with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, began large-scale production. Its output is now significantly cutting Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel.
Industry analysts say the development could eventually reverse Nigeria’s decades-old fuel import dependence, a move that has long been viewed as essential for economic stability and energy security.
