For the first time, the United States exported more crude oil to Nigeria than it imported from the West African nation, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals. This development, recorded in February and March 2025, signals a notable change in the long-standing energy relationship between the two countries.

The reversal was driven by refinery maintenance on the U.S. East Coast, which reduced America’s demand for crude imports, including those from Nigeria. Simultaneously, Nigeria’s Dangote refinery—one of the largest in Africa—ramped up operations, increasing its demand for crude oil imports, including barrels sourced from the United States.

In January 2024, the Dangote refinery began processing crude oil, marking a new era in Nigeria’s refining capacity. Previously, Nigeria had been a consistent supplier of crude oil to the U.S., frequently ranking among its top five sources from 1973 until 2011. However, rising domestic production in the U.S. over the last decade reduced reliance on Nigerian crude, with Nigeria slipping to the ninth position among U.S. crude import sources in 2024.

The EIA data shows that U.S. crude exports to Nigeria reached 111,000 barrels per day (b/d) in February 2025 and climbed to 169,000 b/d in March. Over the same period, crude oil imports from Nigeria declined sharply—from 133,000 b/d in January to 54,000 b/d in February and 72,000 b/d in March.

These shifts were largely attributed to maintenance at New Jersey’s Phillips 66 Bayway refinery, which temporarily lowered the U.S.’s crude import needs. As the Bayway refinery resumed operations in April and the Dangote refinery underwent unplanned maintenance until mid-May, U.S. crude imports from Nigeria increased again, while U.S. exports to Nigeria declined.

The Dangote refinery, currently operating near 550,000 b/d, is projected to reach its full capacity of 650,000 b/d this year. It depends partly on crude imports because the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) delivers around 300,000 b/d, a figure unlikely to rise amid declining production levels. NNPC’s output has fallen from 2.4 million b/d in 2005 to approximately 1.3 million b/d in 2024.

Economic factors also play a role. Revenue from crude sales to Dangote is paid in naira, Nigeria’s domestic currency, which has weakened against the U.S. dollar. This currency depreciation incentivizes NNPC to sell crude on international markets rather than increase domestic deliveries.