Dangote Refinery rapidly expands exports to Europe and Africa, while NNPC reports five-year peak in crude oil trading volumes.
Jet fuel exports from the Dangote Refinery have surged by about 770 per cent over the past two years, driven by rising global demand for aviation fuel and expanding refining capacity, a THISDAY analysis of the latest shipment data from Kpler, has indicated.
Also, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on Sunday, in a graphical representation of its activities in the last one year, stated that crude oil trading under its Chief Executive, Bayo Ojulari’s watch, has climbed to a five-year high, reeling out a list of recent operational achievements across the sector.
But in about 24 months, the Kpler data showed that the global aviation fuel landscape has undergone a seismic shift, with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery emerging from a regional startup to a dominant global supplier.
According to the shipment information, the refinery’s jet fuel exports reached a record-breaking 158,000 barrels per day in April 2026, representing a staggering 770 per cent increase from its initial export volumes of roughly 18,000 bpd in April 2024.
In April 2024 when shipment commenced, exports to Europe were non-existent, as the refinery focused on initial trial runs and regional deliveries. By April 2026, European-bound shipments reached approximately 70,000 bpd. This represented an infinite percentage growth from the zero-baseline of two years ago and a nearly 133 per cent increase in just the last year, compared to the 30,000 bpd seen in April 2025.
However, the conflict in the Middle East has acted as a primary catalyst for this shift; as European airlines and distributors move to de-risk their supply chains away from the volatile Gulf, with Dangote’s West African location offering a shorter, safer, and more reliable alternative.
Besides, the African market has also seen a substantial strengthening in export volumes, growing from 18,000 bpd in April 2024 to 69,000 bpd in April 2026, a 283 per cent increase over the period.
This consistent upward trend highlighted the refinery’s role in replacing expensive imports from the Mediterranean and Asia that previously supplied the continent. Within the last 12 months alone, from April 2025 to April 2026, the data showed that exports to African neighbours grew by approximately 115 per cent.
By providing a localised source of aviation fuel, the refinery has effectively insulated regional carriers from the worst of the logistics-induced price spikes seen in other parts of the world.
While Europe and Africa have become the dominant destinations, the Americas have also served as a vital, albeit fluctuating, market for the refinery’s excess capacity.
In the early phase of operations, specifically June 2024, the Americas received 19,000 bpd. By the time the refinery hit its early stride in February 2025, shipments to the Americas peaked at roughly 55,000 bpd. However, by April 2026, that figure settled at approximately 14,000 bpd.
Despite the recent dip as the refinery prioritises higher-margin European contracts, the overall growth from June 2024 to the February 2025 peak represented a 189 per cent surge.
With the Red Sea remaining a high-risk zone for tankers, the journey from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam has become longer and more expensive. Conversely, a tanker from Lagos, it was learnt, can reach European ports in nearly half the time without the need to navigate contested waters.
The Kpler data indicated that Dangote has seized this window of opportunity. Between December 2025 and April 2026, as tensions in the Middle East flared, the refinery’s total export volume jumped from 81,000 bpd to 158 bpd, a 95 per cent expansion in just four months. This rapid scaling demonstrates the facility’s operational flexibility to meet sudden shifts in global demand.
Beyond the major regions, the “Others” category, representing emerging markets in South America and potentially Asia, has also seen a notable rise. Starting from zero in the first quarter of 2024, these miscellaneous exports reached 19,000 bpd by April 2026, according to the data.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said it has hit a five-year peak in crude oil trading, reaching 1.71 million bpd, according to its newly released One-Year Mandate Report summary covering April 2025 to April 2026.
The report highlighted a series of operational milestones across the oil, gas, and refining sectors.
Leading the upstream successes, the NNPC’s subsidiary, NEPL, the data said, recorded an all-time peak production of 365,000 bpd in December 2025. The company also announced the resolution of the long-standing OPL 245 (Zabazaba/Etan) dispute, successfully converting the asset into a new Production Sharing Contract (PSC) to unlock further investment.
In the gas sector, the company said it completed the critical Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) River Niger crossing and welding of the entire line in July 2025. Besides, it put total gas supply at 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) for the 2025 period.
The NNPC detailed its role in bolstering domestic refining capacity through its partnership with the Dangote Refinery. This, it said, included the implementation of the “crude-for-naira” programme. It also highlighted the consolidation of a 7.25 per cent equity stake in the facility to ensure national interest.
Besides, the information showed that market expansion efforts also saw the introduction of Cawthorne, a new crude oil grade, and the expansion of the Oleum lubricant brand into the West African subregion.
Under the leadership’s transparency drive, the NNPC said it held its first-ever earnings call in November 2025 and reinstated monthly performance reporting. Notably, the company confirmed it has resumed and maintained full monthly remittances into the Federation Account since July 2025.
Internally, the company said it underwent a reorganisation aimed at transforming the NNPC into a globally competitive business. Part of this human capital investment, it explained, included the onboarding of 1,000 new employees, and the launch of the Women in NNPC (WIN) programme to foster leadership inclusion.
“Over the past year, we have delivered steady progress against our mandate, with measurable results across production, financial performance, infrastructure, and organisational culture.
“But this is more than a report on targets met. It is a statement of accountability to every Nigerian. At NNPC Limited, we are committed to leading with purpose, putting our best foot forward to build a more prosperous and sustainable energy future for our country,” Ojulari wrote.
