Niger’s petrol supply gap keeps widening: the shortfall reached 196.6 million litres in the first eight months of 2026, against 159.7 million litres in all of 2025 and 47.3 million in 2024. Petroleum Minister Hamadou Tini presented the figures to the transitional advisory council on 5 October, adding that diesel has also moved into a deficit of 52.6 million litres this year. The Soraz refinery in Zinder, with capacity of 20,000 barrels a day, produces mostly diesel, while demand has recovered and fuel flows to border areas. The gap forces Niger to import more fuel at high world prices, straining the state distributor Sonidep and the budget; the minister said the figures do not automatically point to fraud.
Sources
- Agence Nigérienne de Presse (official): https://anp.ne/niger-un-deficit-de-19662-millions-de-litres-du-super-et-de-5260-millions-de-litres-du-gazoil-observe-dans-le-pays-au-cours-des-huit-premiers-mois-de-2026/
- Government of Niger (official): https://www.gouv.ne/index.php/actualite-des-ministeres/1330-niger-un-deficit-de-196-62-millions-de-litres-du-super-et-de-52-60-millions-de-litres-du-gazoil-observe-dans-le-pays-au-cours-des-huit-premiers-mois-de-2026
- Tamtaminfo: https://tamtaminfo.com/niger-carburant-le-deficit-de-super-explose-a-19662-millions-de-litres-en-2026-le-gasoil-sous-surveillance/