From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Nigeria has retained its status as Africa’s largest crude oil producer, although with a decrease in output for the month of March.
This is according to the latest report from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
In its monthly report released on Monday, OPEC reported that Nigeria’s oil production fell to 1.40 million barrels per day (bpd) in March, down from 1.46 million bpd in February. Despite this reduction, the country’s production remained the highest on the continent, outpacing Algeria and Congo.
The report, which is based on direct communications with member countries, showed that Nigeria’s output exceeded Algeria, which reported 909,000 bpd, and Congo, which produced 263,000 bpd.
Additionally, OPEC noted that secondary sources indicated Nigeria’s production in March was 1.51 million bpd, slightly lower than February’s 1.54 million bpd.
“Total DoC crude oil production averaged 41.02 mb/d in March 2025, which is 37 tb/d lower, m-o-m,” OPEC stated in its report.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) also provided insights on April 12, revealing that the country’s oil production for March stood at 1,400,783 bpd.
Despite the decline, NUPRC stated that the average crude oil production represents 93 percent of the 1.5 million bpd quota assigned to Nigeria by OPEC.
In a bid to stabilize the market amid challenging economic conditions, OPEC and its allies on April 4, announced their decision to increase oil production by 411,000 bpd starting in May.
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