Cooking gas imports jump 1,400% as Nigeria battles supply crisis, prices ease

Nigeria's imports of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), or cooking gas, skyrocketed by 1,400 percent to 1.5 kilotonnes per day (KT/d) in June 2026, as the country scrambled to address severe supply shortages. According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the surge in imports has helped stabilise prices and brought some relief to households struggling with high living costs.

The NMDPRA Fact Sheet for June, released on Friday, July 17, 2026, showed that daily LPG consumption also rose by 24 percent, climbing to 5.1 KT/d in June from 4.1 KT/d recorded in the previous month. Of the total daily consumption, 3.6 KT/d came from domestic production, while 1.5 KT/d was supplied through imports. This means imported LPG accounted for nearly 30 percent of Nigeria's total daily cooking gas supply in June, a clear sign that local production alone cannot meet rising demand.

Price relief for households

The influx of imported LPG is already driving prices down across the country. In several major cities, the cost of refilling cooking gas cylinders has eased to between ₦1,500 and ₦1,700 per kilogram, depending on location and dealer margins. This is a significant drop from the peak period when prices soared above ₦2,000 per kilogram, placing enormous financial pressure on families and forcing some to revert to less clean cooking fuels like kerosene and firewood.

Previously, LPG sold for between ₦900 and ₦1,200 per kilogram, but the sharp price escalation was triggered by supply constraints, foreign exchange challenges, and rising global energy costs. Industry analysts say the massive importation was necessary to prevent a deeper cooking gas scarcity, especially as millions of Nigerian households increasingly rely on LPG for cooking.

Stakeholders push for local production

Stakeholders in the LPG sector have called for sustained investment in local gas production and infrastructure to reduce Nigeria's dependence on imports in the long term. While the sharp rise in imports has temporarily eased supply pressures, experts warn that lasting price stability will depend on improving domestic production capacity, expanding storage facilities, and ensuring a steady foreign exchange supply for importers.

Separate market checks by Petroleumprice.ng also showed that wholesale LPG prices have dropped to as low as ₦1,100 per kilogram, down from an average of ₦1,500/kg recorded just days ago. At the height of the recent supply crisis, prices in some locations climbed close to ₦2,200/kg.

For the naira and Nigerian consumers, the increased importation provides immediate price relief, but the underlying foreign exchange demand for these imports could add pressure on the naira if the trend continues without a corresponding boost in local production.