The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has confirmed that Nigeria remains Africa’s largest producer of crude oil, even with a slight decrease in production levels in May.
In its recent monthly report, OPEC indicated that Nigeria’s oil production fell to 1.45 million barrels per day (bpd) in May, down from 1.48 million bpd in April. Nonetheless, Nigeria continues to outstrip its regional competitors, including Libya, Algeria, and Congo.
OPEC’s data is sourced from direct communications. In May, Libya produced 1.36 million bpd, while Algeria and Congo produced 920,000 bpd and 268,000 bpd, respectively.
Additionally, OPEC’s secondary data sources indicated that Nigeria’s production rose to 1.54 million bpd in May, an increase from 1.52 million bpd in April.
The report also noted that total crude oil production in the DoC averaged 41.23 million bpd in May 2025, which is 180,000 bpd more than the previous month.
On June 13, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) introduced a ‘drill or drop’ policy, requiring operators to either begin production within a specified timeframe or give up their licences.
On that same day, the NUPRC reported that Nigeria’s oil production had decreased to 1,452,941 bpd in May, which corresponds to 97 percent of the 1.5 million bpd quota established by OPEC.
