By Daniel Obaba
Daniel Obaba is a Canada-based Nigerian high school student living in Canada. Now in his finals, he hopes to study Aerospace Engineering in the university. Over the past few years, Daniel has built a strong passion for aviation, engineering, and research, while also growing as a student-leader and athlete.
Air transportation is a major source of transportation for people, goods, and services globally. With Nigeria being the most populous nation on its continent, the growing demand for air travel never ceases. The Nigerian aviation industry has aided in the growth and support of industries such as tourism, transportation, and domestic and international trade. Furthermore, with its ever-growing population, comes more strain on the flight industry as people desire to utilise air travel more and more. The country however, faces difficulty in keeping up with this pressure due to various factors such as poor and inadequate infrastructure, lack of funding towards the industry, and most importantly inadequate resources (particularly jet fuel) to run the industry. This analysis will explore the depths to which jet fuel plays a crucial role in the Nigerian aviation industry and the feasibility of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption in Nigeria, with attention to the challenges, opportunities, and strategic implications for the aviation sector.
Current Fuel Status and Issues
Before the recent inauguration of the Dangote refinery on May 22, 2023 (African Arguments, 2023), Nigeria has failed to produce and sustain its own source of jet fuel, with their supply being 100% reliant on foreign imports. The graph below displays Nigeria’s Jet fuel consumption from 1996 to 2012 (Adekitan, 2022)
This graph is essential to understanding the root of Nigeria’s Jet fuel issue. When viewing the graph, one main observation can be pointed out. Firstly, there are major inconsistencies, such in this context can be attributed to varying import levels of jet fuel.
When a country maintains a stable supply of jet fuel, its consumption would tend to be a lot smoother if plotted on graphs. However, due to Nigeria almost entirely relying on foreign imports, of which are affected by high import cost, fluctuating exchange rates, an unstable Naira? (Currency Of Nigeria), and challenging importation circumstances, it fails to maintain consistent supply. This results in inconsistent consumption which then causes delays, affects the transport of goods, and overall airline services.
According to the Nigerian Nation Bureau of statistics (NBS), 592.73 million litres of aviation turbine kerosene (ATK), were imported into the country during 2017 (NBS, 2018). Furthermore, 5122.067 million litres of aviation turbine kerosene (ATK) were imported into the country in Q1 2018 (NBS, 2018). The country heavily relies on large import volumes from foreign suppliers, due to outdated infrastructure and refineries that are unable to produce such jet fuel domestically.
Moreover, infrastructure is another topic of focus when looking into jet fuel supply once it has arrived into the country. Most jet fuel in Nigeria is moved by tanker trucks over long distances, which is slow, expensive, and vulnerable to accidents, breakdowns, and theft. (Adekitan, 2022). The pipelines that could offer a more efficient alternative are largely non-operational due to widespread vandalism and their significant age, with many being poorly maintained and decades old. Bad roads and potholes cause more delays and safety risks, while traffic at loading depots often leads to long truck queues that disrupt supply. With pipelines no longer a viable option and ports running inefficiently, this heavy reliance on road transport leaves the whole supply chain unstable and unreliable (Adekitan, 2022).
Introduction to Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a cleaner alternative to traditional jet fuel, serving as a key solution for the aviation industry’s climate goals. It is made from renewable or waste materials, called feedstocks, which help significantly reduce lifecycle carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels. Because SAF is chemically identical to conventional jet fuel, it’s considered a “drop-in” fuel, meaning it can be used in existing aircraft and airport infrastructure without any modifications (Alternative Fuels Data Center, n.d.).
Currently, SAF must be blended with conventional jet fuel for commercial use, typically at a maximum of 50% (Alternative Fuels Data Center, n.d.). This blending is required to meet technical safety standards and ensure compatibility with all aircraft.
Although SAF sounds like the perfect solution to bridge the gap between an inconsistent supply and Jet fuel needs in Nigeria, It comes with its own set of challenges that need to be dealt with before it can be put in place.
Nigeria’s aviation sector faces several challenges in moving toward a future reliant on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Regulatory gaps and limited frameworks make it difficult to implement strategies that promote green technologies or enforce environmental standards effectively. Financial constraints further complicate the picture, as many Nigerian airlines operate in a tough economic environment with limited resources to invest in SAF or more fuel-efficient aircraft, with only a few airlines able to consider such investments. Adding to these challenges, the high cost of SAF remains a major barrier; while research and development aim to reduce prices over time, the immediate adoption of SAF could slow growth and strain the financial stability of the sector (Green Growth Knowledge Platform, 2025).
Opportunities/Potential for SAF
Despite the obstacles, Nigeria has begun to explore sustainable aviation fuel as a pathway toward a more secure and climate-conscious aviation future, for not only itself, but for the rest of the continent. With the rising interest, Nigeria hosted a high-level regional workshop from May 5 to 9, 2025, in Lagos. The event brought together stakeholders from 14 African countries, international organizations, and SAF project developers. Discussions focused on addressing access to finance, investment risks, and implementation feasibility of SAF production across the continent (Business Day, 2025).
The workshop also gave birth to six Technical Working Groups (TWGs) established by the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).These TWGs are tasked with guiding Nigeria’s SAF development across critical areas such as: Policy and Regulation, Feedstock and Production, Funding and Investment, Technology and Innovation, Environmental and Social Impact, and Infrastructure and Logistics (Business Day, 2025).
Recommendations and Solutions
In order to facilitate the smooth implementation of SAF into the Nigerian aviation industry, tweaks and changes must be made throughout the nation.
Firstly, increased government involvement is needed to strengthen planning and coordination of jet fuel supply. Strategic investment and proactive management is a must in order to prevent shortages, improve distribution, and ensure the sector grows sustainably. A focus needs to be placed on regulation, financing, logistics, feedstock, innovation, and environmental impact, whilst working alongside the nation dedicated TWGS to guide progress (Business Day, 2025). Constant communication between both Public and Private companies present in the country operating in the field, in order to ensure controlled and regulated delivery of product, whilst producing accurate sources of data to track progress and eliminate hindrances to ensure growth within the sector (Adekitan, 2022).
Secondly, appropriate infrastructure with a focus on storage and distribution points, is needed closer to airports and regions with high fuel demand in order to reduce long-distance transportation, lower costs, and minimize delays.
Expanding the number of storage locations present within the country will also prevent overconcentration in one area, improving efficiency and reducing supply risks and vulnerability (Adekitan, 2022). More refineries such as the newly established Dangote refinery, need to be put into place with the capability of not only producing its own jet fuel, but also being capable of producing SAF as well, both safely and efficiently.
Thirdly, with an abundant agricultural sector, the country needs to leverage its high amounts of agricultural waste and biomass in the transition from fossil-based jet fuels to sustainable aviation fuel as this will serve as the basis for steady SAF production in the country (Raw Materials Research and Development Council, n.d.)
Conclusion
This analysis has examined the feasibility of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) adoption in Nigeria, assessing the challenges, opportunities, and strategic implications for the aviation sector. The findings show that while significant barriers exist such as financial constraints, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory shortcomings, the country also possesses considerable advantages, such as abundant biomass resources, potential for increased refinery capacity, and the potential to position itself as a regional leader in sustainable aviation.
Addressing these challenges will require coordinated action from government, industry, and international partners. The recommendations outlined above provide a pathway to achieving this, emphasizing the importance of strong policy frameworks, infrastructure development, refinery expansion, and feedstock utilization.
Ultimately, the successful integration of SAF can strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector, reduce carbon emissions, and ultimately steer the country towards its climate goals.
References
Adekitan, A. I. (2022). Sustainable supply of aviation fuel in Nigeria: The status quo and the challenges. International Journal of Advances in Applied Sciences, 11(1), 38-46. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358501868_Sustainable_Supply_of_Aviation_Fuel_in_Nigeria_The_Status_Quo_and_The_Challenges
African Arguments. (2023, June). Will Dangote’s new refinery turn Nigeria’s resource curse into a blessing?
Business Day. (2025, May). Nigeria leads a regional push for sustainable aviation fuel financing. https://businessday.ng/news/article/nigeria-leads-regional-push-for-sustainable-aviation-fuel-financing
Ben-Iwo, J., Manovic, V., & Longhurst, P. (2016). Biomass resources and biofuels potential for the production of transportation fuels in Nigeria. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 63, 172-192. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303549322_Biomass_resources_and_biofuels_potential_for_the_production_of_transportation_fuels_in_Nigeria
Green Growth Knowledge Platform. (2025, March 7). Decarbonizing aviation in Africa. https://thegreengrowth.org/2025/03/07/decarbonizingaviationinafrica/
National Bureau of Statistics. (2018a). Foreign trade in goods statistics: Q4 2017. Abuja: NBS. https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/727
National Bureau of Statistics. (2018b). Foreign trade in goods statistics: Q1 2018. Abuja: NBS. https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/773
Raw Materials Research and Development Council. (n.d.). Nigeria urged to transition from fossil-based jet fuels to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using agricultural waste. https://360.rmrdc.gov.ng/nigeria-urged-to-transition-from-fossil-based-jet-fuels-to-sustainable-aviation-fuel-saf-using-agricultural-waste.