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Nigeria’s crude oil output saw a notable recovery in March 2026, reaching 1.38 million barrels per day – bpd, according to the latest monthly oil market report from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries – OPEC.

The figure, based on direct communication with Nigerian authorities, represents a 5.25% increase from the 1.31 million bpd recorded in February.

Despite this modest recovery, the nation continues to face the challenge of meeting its assigned OPEC production quota of 1.5 million bpd, falling short by approximately 117,000 bpd.

The report highlights a discrepancy between primary data and secondary sources, with the latter estimating Nigeria’s output even higher at 1.46 million bpd. OPEC typically balances these two streams—direct state communication and independent energy intelligence platforms—to track member compliance and market dynamics.

While the primary figures show Nigeria is still below its official target, the upward trend suggests that ongoing efforts to stabilize the sector and address operational hurdles are beginning to yield results.

With this increase, Nigeria successfully maintained its status as Africa’s leading oil producer for the month of March. The country outperformed Libya, which reported a production level of 1.30 million bpd.

This achievement comes at a time when total crude output across the OPEC alliance averaged 35.06 million bpd, a significant month-on-month decline of 7.70 million bpd as the organization continues to adjust production to manage global market stability.

Locally, domestic reporting agencies have provided even more optimistic figures, reflecting differences in reporting methodologies and timelines. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission – NUPRC reported production reaching 1.84 million bpd in early April, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company – NNPC Limited placed the figure at 1.71 million bpd.

These variations underscore the complexities of real-time data tracking but collectively point toward a strengthening of the nation’s oil sector.

As the government and industry stakeholders work to bridge the gap between current output and international quotas, closing this deficit remains a top priority.

Moving forward, the focus will stay on mitigating structural challenges and maintaining the momentum seen in March. Ensuring a consistent increase in production is vital for Nigeria to solidify its influence within OPEC and maximize the economic value of its vast petroleum resources.