Nigeria becomes main crude supplier to Senegal’s Dakar refinery — report

By Joy Baba-Yesufu

Nigeria has emerged as a major crude oil supplier to Senegal’s 30,000-barrel-per-day Dakar Refinery, despite Senegal joining the ranks of oil-producing nations last year.
A new report by energy analytics firm Kpler revealed that Senegal’s flagship oil project, the Sangomar field, which came onstream in mid-2024 with production of around 100,000 barrels per day of medium sour crude (31° API, 1% sulphur), is almost entirely exported to Europe. Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands have been the main buyers of Sangomar cargoes.
The report explained that Senegal’s refinery cannot process its own crude because it is configured for lighter, sweeter grades, unlike Sangomar’s heavier, more sulphurous blend. Instead, the Dakar Refinery has turned to Nigeria’s Erha crude (36° API, 0.2% sulphur), which fits its design and processing capacity.
“Senegal’s Dakar Refinery, configured for light, low-sulphur crude, is currently running on Nigeria’s Erha crude, with imports averaging 30,000 barrels per day in recent months,” Kpler noted.
However, Kpler stressed that Nigeria’s crude exports only meet part of Senegal’s needs. To fill the gap, the country still relies heavily on refined product imports, particularly from Russia. Between 2024 and 2025, Senegal imported 90,000–100,000 barrels per day of fuels, with as much as 60% originating from Russia, mostly gasoil, diesel, and fuel oil.
The report highlighted the irony that Senegal, while exporting crude to Europe, depends on Nigeria for refinery feedstock and on Russia for finished fuels to meet its domestic demand.
Looking ahead, the proposed Phase 2 expansion of Sangomar, which involves 33 new wells and could begin production by 2027, is expected to sustain Senegal’s exports at around 100,000 barrels per day. Until then, Nigeria’s Erha crude and Russian refined imports will remain central to Senegal’s energy balance.
Meanwhile, Nigerian refiners have also raised concerns about inadequate local crude supply. The Dangote Refinery recently disclosed that it has increasingly relied on U.S. crude oil to sustain production, underscoring the supply challenges within the domestic market.