Angola remained in January as the largest oil producer in Africa, overtaking Nigeria, according to the February issue of the monthly newsletter on the oil market released in Vienna by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Macauhub informed.

This is the third time Angola has overtaken Nigeria as the continent’s largest crude producer, following Niger Delta unrests in April, July 2016. OPEC’s monthly oil market report (MOMR) revealed that Angola’s production was now at 1.651mb/d, Leadership reported. Production has thus surpassed Nigeria’s 1.604mb/d output, despite Angola’s monthly drop of 24,000b/d.

Angola also surpassed Nigeria in 2016 with a production of 1.73mb/d, compared to Nigeria’s 1.577mb/d. The decline in oil production in Nigeria, which was previously the main oil producer in Africa, is due to ongoing attacks on the country’s production facilities and pipelines.

OPEC confirmed its member countries’ production levels from secondary sources – traders in the industry – and via direct communication with the country’s leadership.