Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria’s crude oil production increased to 1.459 million barrels per day in January 2026, strengthening its position as Africa’s largest oil producer despite remaining below its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quota.
Okay News reports that the figures were published in OPEC’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report released on February 11, 2026. The data shows a month on month increase of 37,000 barrels per day from 1.422 million bpd recorded in December 2025.
Although output improved, Nigeria’s production remains about 50,000 bpd below its assigned OPEC quota of 1.5 million bpd. Secondary sources cited by OPEC estimated Nigeria’s January production slightly higher at 1.47 million bpd, reflecting common tracking differences in reporting methodologies.
The country has now recorded six consecutive months of production below its quota, with the last time it met the target being July 2025. Persistent oil theft, pipeline vandalism, infrastructure constraints and years of underinvestment in upstream assets continue to limit production capacity.
Despite these challenges, the modest recovery signals gradual improvement in output levels. Libya ranked second in Africa during the same period with production of 1.37 million bpd.
Beyond Nigeria, total crude oil production by Declaration of Cooperation countries averaged 42.45 million bpd in January 2026, representing a decline of 439,000 bpd compared to December. The adjustment aligns with OPEC’s broader market stabilisation efforts aimed at balancing global supply amid shifting demand conditions.
Oil production remains critical to Nigeria’s economic stability, as crude exports account for the majority of foreign exchange earnings and a significant portion of government revenue. Improved output could support fiscal performance and ease pressure on external reserves.
While the Federal Government adopted a 2.6 million bpd benchmark for 2026, it is using a more conservative 1.8 million bpd projection for budget planning.
