Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s largest exporter of crude oil to the United States in the first eight months of 2025, a development that underscores growing relevance in the U.S. energy supply chain even as its domestic refining capacity expands and reshapes regional oil flows.

Data released by the U.S. Mission show that between January and August 2025, Nigeria shipped 33.23 million barrels of crude oil to the United States, valued at about $2.57 billion. The volume represented more than half of all crude oil exports from Africa to the U.S. during the period, placing Nigeria well ahead of other African producers supplying the American market.

In a post on its official X handle, the U.S. Mission described Nigeria as the leading African exporter of crude oil to the United States over the period, noting that the strong trade relationship “creates jobs and drives prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Strong exports despite shifting trade patterns

The strong export performance comes at a time of notable changes in Nigeria–U.S. petroleum trade. In a historic reversal earlier this year, Nigeria briefly imported more crude oil from the United States than it exported, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This occurred in February and March 2025, reflecting a combination of reduced U.S. East Coast demand for Nigerian crude and rising domestic crude requirements within Nigeria.

EIA data show that U.S. crude exports to Nigeria climbed to 111,000 barrels per day in February and 169,000 b/d in March. Over the same period, U.S. imports from Nigeria dropped to 54,000 b/d and 72,000 b/d, respectively, from 133,000 b/d in January. The shift highlighted how quickly Nigeria’s oil trade dynamics are evolving as local refining capacity expands.

Dangote Refinery and the transition to refined exports

At the center of this transition is the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest, with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The refinery began processing crude oil in January 2024 and is expected to reach full capacity soon. Its growing appetite for crude has altered Nigeria’s internal supply balance, temporarily reducing export volumes at certain points while increasing imports to optimize feedstock blends and logistics.

Looking ahead, analysts expect Nigeria’s crude exports to the U.S. to rise again in 2026, as the Dangote Refinery expands its markets for refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

The expansion of refined product exports is also expected to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuels, free up foreign exchange, and improve the overall efficiency of the oil sector. For the U.S., increased imports of Nigerian refined products would add another layer to the energy relationship, shifting part of the trade from crude-only flows to higher-value petroleum products.

However, Nigeria’s position as the top African crude supplier to the U.S. reinforces its strategic role in transatlantic energy trade at a time when global oil flows are being reshaped by geopolitics, refinery closures in parts of the West, and changing demand patterns. Nigerian crude, which is relatively light and low in sulphur, remains attractive to U.S. refiners seeking flexibility and cleaner feedstocks.

For Nigeria, sustained demand from the U.S. provides a critical source of foreign exchange and revenue, supporting public finances and investment in upstream production, pipelines, and export terminals. It also strengthens bilateral economic ties, opening the door to deeper cooperation in energy infrastructure, technology, and downstream investments.

More broadly, the 2025 export figures point to the resilience of Nigeria’s oil sector despite persistent challenges, including production disruptions, security concerns, and global price volatility. Crude oil production has notably increased over the past year, with about 2mbpd being targeted in 2026.

Amazon is broadening the scope of its AI-powered digital assistant Alexa+ as it seeks to transform the long-running voice service into a central gateway for travel bookings, local services, and everyday commerce, a move that underscores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way consumers interact with online platforms.

The company said on Thursday that Alexa+ will add new integrations with Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp beginning in 2026. The new partners will allow users to book hotels, compare prices, manage reservations, request home-service quotes, schedule salon appointments, and interact with local businesses directly through conversational prompts.

With Expedia, users will be able to search for hotels, compare options, and manage bookings, or simply describe their preferences and let Alexa generate recommendations, such as finding pet-friendly accommodation for a weekend trip. Angi’s integration is aimed at home improvement and maintenance, enabling customers to source contractors and request estimates. Square and Yelp will expand Alexa’s role in local commerce, connecting discovery, bookings, and payments for restaurants, salons, and other small businesses.

These additions build on Alexa+’s existing integrations with services including Fodor, OpenTable, Suno, Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, and Uber. Collectively, they represent Amazon’s most concerted effort yet to reposition Alexa from a primarily smart-speaker tool into a full-scale AI concierge capable of handling multi-step tasks across different sectors.

Amazon’s broader ambition is to reduce friction between intent and action. Instead of opening multiple apps or browsing the web, users are meant to rely on Alexa+ as a single conversational interface that can understand context, refine requests through follow-up questions, and complete transactions on their behalf. The assistant is designed to support natural back-and-forth conversations, allowing users to adjust plans or preferences in real time.

The strategy mirrors a wider shift across the technology sector. As generative AI becomes more capable, companies are increasingly treating AI assistants as platforms rather than standalone tools. OpenAI has been moving in a similar direction by integrating third-party services into ChatGPT, while Google has been embedding its Gemini assistant across Android devices and productivity software. For Amazon, which has invested heavily in AI and cloud infrastructure through AWS, Alexa+ is a consumer-facing test of how AI can drive engagement and, eventually, revenue.

Amazon has struggled for years to monetize Alexa despite its presence in millions of households. Voice shopping never scaled as once envisioned, and most interactions remained limited to simple tasks like setting timers or controlling smart home devices. By folding in travel, local services, and commerce, Amazon is betting that AI-driven conversations can unlock higher-value use cases and make Alexa indispensable in daily decision-making.

The company offered limited but telling insight into early usage patterns. According to Amazon, service providers already integrated into Alexa+, such as Thumbtack and Vagaro, have seen strong engagement from early adopters, suggesting that users are willing to experiment with using AI assistants to manage real-world services.

Still, significant hurdles remain. Convincing consumers to change entrenched habits built around mobile apps and websites will not be easy. For AI assistants to gain widespread acceptance as substitutes for apps, they must be at least as reliable, transparent, and fast as traditional interfaces. Any friction, errors, or lack of clarity around pricing and confirmations could quickly erode trust.

Scale is another challenge. Traditional app stores offer vast ecosystems, while AI assistants rely on curated partnerships. Amazon and its rivals will either need to dramatically expand the range of available services or become highly adept at recommending the right service at the right moment. There is also a fine line between helpful suggestions and prompts that users may perceive as advertising, a risk that could undermine adoption if not carefully managed.

The expansion of Alexa+ comes at a critical moment for Amazon. Competition in consumer AI is intensifying, and rivals are racing to define how people will interact with digital services in an AI-first era. By embedding Alexa more deeply into commerce, travel, and local services, Amazon is signaling that it sees conversational AI not just as a feature, but as a foundational layer for the next phase of the internet.

If successful, Alexa+ could finally give the e-commerce giant a return on its years-long investment in voice technology.