By CSL Research
The April 2025 Gas Production Status Report from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) indicated that Nigeria’s total gas production for the month was 228,309.16 million standard cubic feet (MMscf), up 20.29% year-on-year (YoY) from 189,794.26 MMscf recorded in April 2024.
A breakdown of the production figures shows that Associated Gas (AG), natural gas produced alongside crude oil, accounted for 115,833.92 MMscf, up from 109,921.29 MMscf in April 2024.
Non-Associated Gas (NAG), gas produced from conventional fields independent of crude oil, was 112,475.24 MMscf, compared to 79,872.96 MMscf in the corresponding period of 2024.
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, total gas production in April increased marginally by 0.17% from the 227,931.65 MMscf recorded in March 2025.
Following the Federal Government’s ban on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports in the fourth quarter of 2024, domestic gas sales have maintained an uptrend, with a 4-month average year-on-year growth of 25.08% since the start of the year.
In April, domestic gas sales rose by 21.41% YoY to 64,097.82 million standard cubic feet (MMscf), up from 52,795.52 MMscf recorded in April 2024.
Similarly, export gas sales increased by 28.02% YoY to 83,370.24 MMscf in April 2025, compared to 65,121.00 MMscf in the same period last year.
However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, domestic sales recorded a slight dip of 2.34% while export sales rose marginally by 3.61%, fairly reflecting the dismal overall MoM growth in gas production.
Consequent on the MoM drop, the percentage contribution of domestic sales to total gas sales slid to 44% from its year-to-date contribution of 45%.
The steady growth in domestic gas sales continues to align with the Federal Government’s push for clean cooking initiatives and increased supply to the local market.
This is especially important as domestic demand has recently outpaced supply. Despite this progress, export volumes still exceed domestic consumption, highlighting the urgent need for a stronger policy framework to prioritise local supply.
Encouragingly, domestic cooking gas prices have declined appreciably year-to-date. However, sustaining this trend will require strategic and targeted incentives to boost domestic gas utilisation.
