Nigeria's Gas Exports Surpass Domestic Consumption

Nigeria has one of the lowest domestic gas consumptions in Africa, with annual cooking gas consumption at 2.3 million metric tonnes, compared to Senegal's 9 million metric tonnes. Between 2022 and 2026, Nigeria exported 4.56 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, while domestic sales totaled 3.21 tcf, indicating exports exceeded domestic supplies by about 42 percent.

Despite 18 years of policies like the National Gas Policy and the Petroleum Industry Act aimed at increasing domestic consumption, challenges remain. Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from 2016, initiated a "cooking gas revolution" to replace kerosene with gas, but no appliances were delivered before his departure in May 2019.

Nigeria imports 1.5 million tonnes of cooking gas annually, leading to higher prices than in neighboring Benin Republic. Issues such as inadequate infrastructure, poor pricing, and pipeline vandalism contribute to gas shortages, affecting power generation and increasing inflation.