Nigeria’s Cooking Gas Supply Hits 13-Month High as Domestic Sources Dominate

Nigeria’s liquefied petroleum gas market closed July 2026 with its strongest supply performance in 13 months, even as consumers continue to pay above the price level that regulators had envisaged for cooking gas.

Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority showed that LPG supply reached 5,332 tonnes per day in July, up from 5,100 tonnes per day in June. It was the highest daily supply recorded in the 13-month period covered by the NMDPRA’s midstream and downstream statistics.

The figures also reveal a growing reliance on domestic sources. Local producers supplied 4,373 tonnes per day, representing about 82 per cent of the total July volume, while imports contributed 959 tonnes per day, or 18 per cent.

NLNG/SEPNU accounted for the largest share of the supply, delivering 2,031 tonnes per day through vessels, equivalent to about 38 per cent of total LPG supply during the month. Other processing plants supplied 1,513 tonnes per day through trucks, while the Dangote Petroleum Refinery contributed 829 tonnes per day.

The latest performance caps a year of considerable movement in Nigeria’s LPG supply. The country recorded 4,500 tonnes per day in July 2025, rising to 5,000 tonnes in August before falling to 3,900 tonnes in September. Supply recovered to 4,500 tonnes in October, reached 5,000 tonnes in November and climbed to 5,200 tonnes in December.

January 2026 opened at 5,100 tonnes per day, but supply fell to 4,700 tonnes in February and remained at that level in March. It declined again to 4,500 tonnes in April and 4,100 tonnes in May, before recovering to 5,100 tonnes in June and finally reaching 5,332 tonnes in July.

Despite the stronger supply position, the improvement has not yet brought cooking gas prices below N1,000 per kilogramme. Prices, which surged to as much as N2,400 per kilogramme in May, have since dropped to between N1,300 and N1,600 per kilogramme, depending on location.

The wide difference between supply prices and retail costs has also placed attention on the distribution chain.  

The July figures therefore present a stronger supply picture for Nigeria’s LPG market, with domestic sources now providing the clear majority of available cooking gas. The unresolved issue is whether that supply growth can eventually translate into lower prices for households, particularly as regulators work to address the distortions identified in the distribution chain.