Nigeria’s natural gas exports rose 19.25 per cent year-on-year to 733,778 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) between January and August 2026, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The increase comes as the country seeks to expand gas utilisation and strengthen foreign exchange earnings from its natural resources.
NUPRC data showed that Nigeria produced 1.92 million MMSCF of natural gas during the eight-month period, comprising 963,321 MMSCF of non-associated gas and 959,941 MMSCF of associated gas.
Export volumes increased from 615,370 MMSCF recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, representing an additional 118,408 MMSCF.
Nigeria’s total gas production also increased during the period, rising from about 1.84 million MMSCF in the first eight months of 2025 to 1.92 million MMSCF in 2026.
This represents growth of approximately 4.6 per cent year-on-year.
August contributed significantly to the increase, with gas production reaching 245,439.13 MMSCF, compared with 227,015.22 MMSCF recorded in August 2025.
Gas exports also strengthened in August, reaching 92,410.74 MMSCF, up from 65,732.24 MMSCF a year earlier.
Despite the increase in exports, domestic utilisation remained substantial. NUPRC data showed that 516,780 MMSCF was sold domestically during the eight-month period, while 525,768 MMSCF was used in the field.
Combined, 1.78 million MMSCF, representing about 92.4 per cent of total gas production, was utilised.
The rise in physical gas exports comes amid stronger earnings from Nigeria’s gas trade.
Central Bank of Nigeria data showed that Nigeria earned $2.53 billion from gas exports in the first quarter of 2026.
Gas export earnings also rose 21 per cent in 2025 to $10.51 billion, compared with $8.66 billion in 2024.
The stronger performance has increased the role of natural gas in Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings as the country seeks to diversify its export base beyond crude oil.
NUPRC had also reported that average daily natural gas production rose to 7.93 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in May 2026, compared with 7.88 bcf/d in May 2025.
Despite the growth in production and exports, gas flaring remains a significant issue.
Nigeria flared 131,564 MMSCF of gas between January and August 2026, according to NUPRC data.
August recorded the highest monthly flaring volume so far this year, at 18,350.55 MMSCF. The volume represented 7.48 per cent of the month’s total gas production.
The August flaring rate increased from 6.72 per cent in July.
