The United States imported crude oil worth $578.78 million from Nigeria in the first quarter of 2026, according to new trade figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The latest report showed that the value of Nigerian crude imported by the U.S. dropped from $681.40 million recorded during the same period in 2025, representing a decline of over 15 per cent year-on-year.
Data from the report revealed that the U.S. imported about 7.84 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria between January and March 2026, compared to 8.44 million barrels during the corresponding period last year.
The figures also showed a sharp month-on-month decline in exports. Nigerian crude exports to the U.S. fell from 4.64 million barrels in February 2026 to 1.54 million barrels in March, while the value of imports dropped from $345.33 million to $114.49 million within the same period.
Despite the decline, Nigeria remained one of Africa’s major crude oil suppliers to the American market due to the continued demand for its light sweet crude grades used by U.S. refineries.
However, Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports from Africa reportedly dropped significantly as countries such as Libya and Ghana increased their contributions to the market.
The report linked the decline partly to changing global oil supply patterns and operational challenges affecting Nigeria’s production and export capacity.
Meanwhile, figures from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited showed that crude oil sales fell to 17.37 million barrels in March, down from 22.85 million barrels in February and 25.75 million barrels in January.
NNPC attributed the setback to disruptions on the Trans Forcados Pipeline caused by a leak along the Keremor axis, which affected production across several oil assets between February and March.
The company said it is implementing recovery strategies aimed at improving asset reliability, resolving evacuation constraints and stabilising crude oil production in the coming months.
