Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer, even if its output continues to fall short of its limit. In January 2026, Nigeria’s crude oil production climbed to 1.459 million barrels per day.
The numbers were reportedly taken from OPEC’s most recent Monthly Oil Market Report, which was published on Wednesday. The report indicated a slight increase in Nigeria’s production levels month over month.
However, the research emphasized that the nation continues to face operational and structural obstacles in the oil industry, making it impossible to continuously exceed its allocated output ceiling.
The research states that Nigeria produced 1.459 million barrels of crude oil per day in January 2026, up almost 37,000 barrels per day from 1.422 million barrels per day in December 2025.
Nigerian officials and OPEC communicated directly to compile the numbers.
Notwithstanding the improvement, Nigeria produced less than its quota of 1.5 million barrels per day for the sixth consecutive month, falling short by almost 50,000 barrels per day.
Production in January was 1.459 million barrels per day, whereas in December it was 1.422 million barrels per day, according to a breakdown of the data.
Nigeria’s production was slightly higher at 1.47 million barrels per day according to OPEC’s secondary sources, which included independent experts and market trackers. This was due to small variations in measuring techniques that are typical of OPEC reporting.
The most recent data showed that Nigeria remained Africa’s top producer of crude oil, surpassing Libya, which produced 1.37 million barrels per day over the same time frame.
Nigeria depends on oil exports to finance its budget and maintain the value of the naira, therefore industry analysts told Daily Trust that the slight increase gives cautious optimism for government income and foreign exchange gains.
Analysts cautioned, however, that more upstream investments, more thorough reforms, and improved sector-wide operating efficiency would be necessary for persistent adherence to OPEC production targets.
As Nigeria looks to stabilize its economy and increase fiscal profits, they pointed out that bridging the production gap will continue to be crucial in the coming months.
With a goal of increasing crude oil output to two million barrels per day by 2026 and then to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027, Nigeria has set an ambitious goal.
Improving infrastructure to support upstream activities, maintaining investment, and enhancing security in oil-producing areas are all necessary to meet the goal.
