- The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Nigeria was still Africa’s largest crude oil producer despite the drop in the country’s output in March
- OPEC said Nigeria surpassed Algeria, which produced 909,000 bpd, and Congo, which recorded 263,000 bpd in March
- Nigeria’s oil production dropped for the second consecutive month to 1.4 million barrels per day in March
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says Nigeria retained its position as the largest crude oil producer in Africa despite a 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) drop in the country’s output in March.
OPEC stated this in its Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) released on Monday, April 14, which contained data from direct communication.
The report stated that Nigeria’s crude oil output in March decreased to 1.40 million bpd from the 1.46 million bpd recorded in February 2025.
OPEC said that despite the decline, Nigeria maintained its leading streak from February, as it recorded the largest oil output in Africa, surpassing Algeria, which produced 909,000 bpd, and Congo, which recorded 263,000 bpd in March.
It, however, said data from secondary sources indicated that Nigeria produced 1.51 million bpd in March as against 1.54 million bpd recorded in February.
“Total DoC crude oil production averaged 41.02 mb/d in March 2025, which is 37 tb/d lower, m-o-m,” OPEC said.
Nigeria’s oil production dropped for second consecutive month in March
According to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigeria’s crude oil production declined for the second consecutive month to 1,400,783 bpd in March, the lowest output since the beginning of the year.
The NUPRC’s data showed that oil production output declined by 64,223 bpd in March, a 4.38 per cent decrease compared to 1,465,006 bpd produced in February.
The data also showed that Nigeria’s total output stood at 1,603,776 bpd in March, comprising 1,400,783 bpd of crude oil and 202,993 bpd of condensates, a drop from the 1.671 million barrels recorded in February.
Despite the decline in output in March, the NUPRC said the average crude oil production is 93 per cent of the 1.5 million bpd quota set for Nigeria by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
March production level below NUPRC, FG’s target
The production level recorded in March is also below NUPRC’s 2.1 million bpd and the Federal Government’s 2.06 million bpd targets for 2025.
In early March, the NUPRC outlined a plan to add 1.07 million barrels per day (bpd) to the country’s crude oil output by December 2026.
The NUPRC said the plan includes an injection of capital into Nigerian oil blocks through joint ventures, production-sharing contracts, and sole risk contracts.
Nigeria still Africa’s largest oil producer, as OPEC reports 1.5 million bpd output in November
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Nigeria retained its spot as Africa’s largest oil producer, according to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
OPEC, in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report for November 2024, released on Wednesday, December 11, said Nigeria’s oil output increased in November to 1.48 million barrels per day (bpd), excluding condensate, from 1.33 million bpd recorded in October 2024.
