New U.S. data shows Nigeria supplied over half of all African crude barrels imported by America between January and August 2025
Nigeria shipped crude oil valued at $2.57bn to the United States between January and August 2025, cementing its position as the single largest African supplier of crude to the American market. The figures are contained in new U.S. Census Bureau import data covering the first eight months of the year.
A review of the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report shows that Nigerian crude accounted for more than half of all African oil imports into the U.S. during the period. The CIF landing value placed Nigeria comfortably ahead of Angola, Libya, Ghana, and other regional exporters. In total, the U.S. imported African crude worth $4.67bn from January to August, with Nigeria alone contributing 55 per cent.
In volume terms, Nigeria supplied 33.23 million barrels out of Africa’s total shipment of 60.75 million barrels, giving it a 54.7 per cent share—meaning more than one out of every two African barrels received in the U.S. originated from Nigeria.
The figures also show steady demand for Nigeria’s medium-sweet crude grades. In August 2025, the U.S. took delivery of 4.49 million barrels from Nigeria, slightly above the 4.40 million barrels supplied in July. The CIF value for August reached $353.39m, up from $335.97m the previous month.
Other African exporters trailed significantly. Angola delivered 6.86 million barrels year-to-date valued at $534.84m, while Libya shipped 11.51 million barrels worth $900.88m. Ghana supplied 3.69 million barrels valued at $267.47m, and the “Other Africa” category contributed 5.45 million barrels worth $403.44m.
In August alone, African crude import CIF values totalled $850.75m, with Nigeria accounting for 41.5 per cent. In July, Africa exported $787.51m worth of crude to the U.S., and Nigeria again led with 42.6 per cent.
Customs Value figures, which exclude freight and insurance confirmed Nigeria’s dominance. Nigerian crude valued at $2.50bn entered the U.S. within the eight-month period, representing 55 per cent of Africa’s total customs-valued oil imports of $4.56bn.
Nigeria’s export momentum remained stable between July and August, with shipments rising 2 per cent month-on-month. By contrast, Angola’s exports fell sharply from 2.04 million barrels in July to 1.39 million barrels in August. Libya and Ghana recorded mild increases.
Beyond crude, U.S. purchases of Nigerian goods totalled $3.58bn between January and August, down from $4.20bn in the same period of 2024. The 14.7 per cent drop is attributed to the 15 per cent tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on a wide range of non-oil Nigerian exports. Crude oil, however, remained exempt from the tariff regime, forming 72 per cent of all U.S. imports from Nigeria within the period.
Non-oil exports including agriculture, manufactured goods, and solid minerals made up just 28 per cent of the total and faced the sharpest declines, reflecting the full impact of the new tariff.
The country imported 31.69 million barrels of U.S. crude between February and August 2025, a 101 per cent increase over the 15.79 million barrels imported during the same period in 2024. The rise was driven by domestic supply constraints and efforts to stabilise local refinery operations.
The increasing inflow of U.S. light sweet crude also highlights Nigeria’s ongoing dependence on foreign barrels, an irony for Africa’s top oil producer and OPEC member. While Nigeria remains a major crude exporter, inconsistent production and moribund state refineries have kept the country reliant on imported crude for refining.
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