Nigeria’s crude oil production increased to 1.459 million barrels per day in January 2026, reinforcing the country’s status as Africa’s largest oil producer despite continued output falling short of its quota.
Naija News reports that the figures were contained in the latest Monthly Oil Market Report released on Wednesday by OPEC, which showed a modest month-on-month recovery in Nigeria’s production levels.
The report, however, highlighted the country’s persistent difficulty in consistently meeting its assigned production ceiling amid structural and operational challenges in the oil sector.
According to the report, Nigeria’s crude production rose from 1.422 million barrels per day in December 2025 to 1.459 million barrels per day in January 2026, representing an increase of about 37,000 barrels per day.
The figures were compiled through direct communication between OPEC and Nigerian authorities.
Despite the improvement, Nigeria still fell short of its 1.5 million barrels per day quota by roughly 50,000 barrels per day, marking the sixth consecutive month the country has produced below its allocation.
A breakdown of the report indicated that January production stood at 1.459 million barrels per day compared to December’s 1.422 million barrels per day.
OPEC’s secondary sources, including independent analysts and market trackers, placed Nigeria’s output slightly higher at 1.47 million barrels per day, reflecting minor differences in measurement methodologies common in OPEC reporting.
With the latest figures, Nigeria maintained its position as Africa’s largest crude producer, ahead of Libya, which recorded 1.37 million barrels per day during the same period.
Industry experts, according to Daily Trust, said the incremental rise offers cautious optimism for government revenue and foreign exchange earnings, given Nigeria’s reliance on oil exports to fund its budget and support the naira.
However, analysts warned that consistent compliance with OPEC production targets would require deeper reforms, increased upstream investments, and stronger operational efficiency across the sector.
They noted that closing the production gap remains critical in the months ahead, particularly as Nigeria seeks to stabilise its economy and boost fiscal earnings.
Nigeria has set an ambitious target of raising crude oil production to two million barrels per day in 2026, with a further increase to 2.5 million barrels per day projected for 2027.
However, achieving the target will depend on improved security in oil-producing regions, sustained investment, and enhanced infrastructure to support upstream operations.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
