Nigeria exported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, worth N105.5bn to Togo in the first quarter of 2026 amid recent revelations that Nigerian fuel marketers are increasingly re-importing Dangote-produced petroleum products through the offshore ship-to-ship trading hub in Lomé, Togo, official trade data has shown.
The export figure was contained in the National Bureau of Statistics Foreign Trade Statistics Report for the first quarter of 2026 and analysed by our correspondent on Tuesday, which showed that ordinary motor spirit ranked among Nigeria’s major petroleum exports to the neighbouring country during the period.
The development highlights a dramatic shift in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, which for years depended heavily on imported petrol due to inadequate domestic refining capacity. Nigeria imported approximately $117m worth of petroleum oils (petrol/refined products) from Togo in 2023, and $72–77m in 2024.
According to the report, 2026 Q1 petrol exports to Togo were valued at N105.50bn, making the product one of the most significant energy commodities shipped from Nigeria to the West African nation.
The data further showed that gas oil exports to Togo stood at N278.36bn, while kerosene-type jet fuel exports were valued at N273.18bn. Crude petroleum oil exports amounted to N220.14bn, while partially refined oil, including crude oil that had undergone primary refinement, was valued at N89.83bn.
The emergence of petrol as a major export commodity follows the ramp-up of operations at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has significantly increased the country’s refining output and transformed fuel supply dynamics within the sub-region.
The latest figures come amid revelations that petroleum products refined by Dangote are increasingly dominating fuel movements across West Africa, with Togo’s offshore trading hub in Lomé playing a strategic role in regional distribution.
An official of S&P Global Commodity Insights, Matthew Tracey-Cook, last Thursday disclosed that Nigerian fuel marketers are increasingly importing refined petroleum products originating from the Dangote refinery through the offshore ship-to-ship trading hub in Lomé, Togo.
Speaking during a webinar organised by the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Tracey-Cook said Dangote-produced fuel now accounts for the majority of waterborne petroleum products imported into Nigeria.
“Dangote volumes on a coastal basis do arrive back in Lagos from Lomé. Over the last six months, if you look at the volume of products on a waterborne basis that’s imported directly into Nigeria, Dangote production has become increasingly dominant,” he stated.
Providing further insight into the changing regional trade pattern, he added, “For several months, from March until May, we saw well over 70 to 80 per cent of the volumes that were imported into Nigeria actually originated from Dangote; from their coastal Dangote volumes which were re-imported.”
According to him, similar trends have emerged in the diesel market, reflecting the refinery’s growing influence on fuel movements within the region.
“The increasing importance of the Dangote refinery in terms of product that’s flowing into Nigeria is really evident from the data,” Tracey-Cook said.
He explained that despite growing direct coastal deliveries from the refinery, the Lomé offshore hub remains a critical component of West Africa’s fuel logistics chain.
According to him, the facility allows large tankers to discharge cargoes offshore before transferring products to smaller vessels capable of accessing ports across the region.
“Lomé has become an increasingly important transshipment hub for filling regional shortages across the region. It serves an important purpose, given that many ports in West Africa don’t have the capacity to take a fully laden medium-range vessel,” he stated.
Thr NBS figures suggest that Nigeria is gradually consolidating its position as a regional supplier of refined petroleum products following decades of fuel import dependence.
The report also showed that Côte d’Ivoire remained another important destination for Nigerian petroleum exports during the quarter, receiving shipments of crude petroleum oils, gas oil and ordinary motor spirit.