Dangote Refinery has resumed importing crude oil from the United States to enhance its refining capacity and production output. According to a Bloomberg report, the refinery is set to receive a shipment of two million barrels of WTI Midland crude from Chevron Corp., with delivery expected next month.

This marks the first time in three months that the refinery has sourced crude from foreign suppliers, following a period of reliance on domestic crude supplies. The move raises questions about the Nigerian government’s Naira-for-crude initiative, introduced in October 2024, which appears to be experiencing delays or supply challenges with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

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The crude shipment will be transported aboard the supertanker Azure Nova, scheduled to load the oil from the US Gulf around December 5. Despite initial expectations tied to the Naira-for-crude arrangement, economist Kelvin Emmanuel highlighted that Dangote Refinery continues purchasing crude from the Nigerian government using US dollars, reflecting potential limitations of the domestic trade policy.