Precious Anga
Lagos — Dangote Petroleum Refinery has exported an estimated 57 million barrels of aviation fuel within two years, cementing Nigeria’s growing position in the global Jet A1 market amid rising demand from Europe, Africa and the Americas.
A report by energy intelligence platform Kpler showed that jet fuel exports from the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery climbed steadily between April 2024 and April 2026, with shipments peaking at about 160,000 barrels per day in April 2026 as supply disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East reshaped global fuel trade flows.
The report showed that exports started modestly in April 2024 at about 20,000 barrels per day shortly after the refinery began production. Volumes later surged to around 70,000 barrels daily in May before fluctuating across the year as the facility ramped up operations and expanded into international markets.
By early 2025, export momentum strengthened sharply. Shipments jumped to about 115,000 barrels per day in February 2025 and remained above 100,000 barrels daily in several months, reflecting growing demand for Nigerian-produced aviation fuel.
Kpler data further indicated that Africa remained the largest destination for Dangote’s jet fuel exports, receiving about 23 million barrels over the period under review. Europe followed with an estimated 17 million barrels, while the Americas accounted for roughly 11 million barrels.
The growing European demand became more visible from mid-2025 as buyers across the region increasingly turned to Dangote supplies amid tighter global fuel availability. France, Spain and the United Kingdom were among the key importers of the refinery’s aviation fuel.
According to Oilprice.com, Nigeria’s domestic jet fuel demand currently stands at around 13,000 barrels per day, far below Dangote’s export volumes. The report noted that the refinery exported close to 100,000 barrels daily in March alone, with Europe taking nearly half of the shipments.
The report added that the refinery could redirect more cargoes from lower-margin African destinations to Europe without affecting local supply. It projected that as much as 40,000 barrels per day could be shifted to Europe if international margins remain stronger.
The export growth comes despite mounting concerns from domestic airline operators over the high cost of Jet A1 in Nigeria. Several airlines had earlier warned of operational pressure caused by rising aviation fuel prices, while the House of Representatives recently called for urgent government intervention to stabilise the market.
An official of the Dangote Group had maintained that the refinery could not subsidise aviation fuel prices after already absorbing significant costs in the supply of petrol and diesel to the domestic market.
Industry figures released by the refinery also showed that about 876,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel were exported to Europe between March and April 2026 alone, further highlighting the refinery’s growing influence in international downstream oil markets and Nigeria’s expanding role in global fuel supply chains.
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
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