Nigeria becomes a net exporter of refined products as Gulf nations scramble for imports
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has ramped up fuel exports, seizing on a wave of refinery shutdowns in the Middle East Gulf to establish itself as a major supplier in global markets.
Industry sources confirmed that the $20 billion facility in Lekki, Lagos, has exported large volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), and aviation fuel in recent months, positioning Nigeria as a net exporter of refined petroleum products for the first time in history.
In a statement earlier this year, Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, revealed that the refinery had already achieved a major milestone by selling two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company. He announced that between June and July 2025 alone, the refinery exported up to 1 million tonnes of petrol. “Today, Nigeria has actually become a net exporter of refined products. From the beginning of June to date (July 22), we have exported about 1 million tonnes of PMS within the last 50 days,” Dangote declared.
The surge in exports coincides with heavy maintenance works and operational constraints across Middle Eastern refineries. Saudi Aramco has already shut down two refineries and is preparing for additional closures in the coming months. Its 460,000-barrels-per-day Satorp refinery in Jubail is due for a 60-day turnaround between November and December, while maintenance is also scheduled at its Riyadh refinery before year-end. Earlier, Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Jizan refinery had its reformer unit taken offline in July, and its Yasref refinery in Yanbu, a joint venture with Sinopec, has been operating at reduced rates.
The refinery outages have left the Mideast Gulf scrambling for alternative supplies. Data from Vortexa shows that the region’s gasoline imports rose to 1.03 million tonnes in July, up 35 percent from June, marking the highest levels since January. Saudi Arabia more than tripled its gasoline imports in the same month, rising from 144,000 tonnes in June to 478,000 tonnes in July. The United Arab Emirates also sharply increased purchases, importing 864,000 tonnes in August compared to 648,000 tonnes in July.
Kuwait is facing its own supply constraints, with the state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company set to shut several units at its 490,000 b/d Mina Abdullah refinery for a 30-day maintenance period beginning October 1. In India, the end of the monsoon season is expected to drive up local demand, further limiting export capacity from one of the region’s traditional suppliers.
The tight market has boosted premiums for gasoline cargoes, with Pakistan’s state-owned refiner PSO receiving offers at $7–12 per barrel above the Mideast Gulf 92R spot assessment for July–September cargoes. Meanwhile, European Union sanctions on India’s Nayara Energy temporarily disrupted supplies to Saudi Aramco, reducing available cargoes from its 400,000 b/d Vadinar refinery.
Despite reports of operational issues at the Dangote refinery, company officials dismissed such claims, insisting that the plant is on course to scale up production to 700,000 barrels per day by December. The refinery, which has already supplied two long-range cargoes to the Gulf region earlier in the year, is expected to increase its footprint in global markets if its catalytic cracker challenges are resolved.
Energy analysts believe the timing of Dangote’s expansion is fortuitous. With Middle Eastern refineries offline and demand rising across Asia, Nigeria’s giant plant is well-positioned to capture market share. For a country long dependent on fuel imports, the development marks a dramatic turnaround.
As global supply chains strain under refinery shutdowns and shifting demand, Dangote’s entry into the export market not only strengthens Nigeria’s energy profile but also signals a potential rebalancing of global fuel trade flows.
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