Diesel prices in West Africa in 2026: country by country

On 28 February 2026, the strikes on Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz took Brent from around 70 dollars to a peak of 126 dollars a barrel in March. In September it was still trading around 100 dollars. Each West African country answered in its own way: some held their prices, some revise them every month, and some let the market decide.

Below is the official price of a litre of diesel in ten countries of the region, with the date of the decision and the authority that took it. We will update the table at each revision.

The table

Official pump price of diesel unless stated otherwise. Amounts in cedis, naira and Guinean francs are converted into CFA francs at the rate of 30 September 2026 and rounded. For reference, one US dollar was worth about 578 CFA francs that day.

What the table does not tell you

In Mali, 940 CFA francs is the Bamako price. In the centre and north of the country a litre sells for 1,250 to 2,500 CFA francs, according to Mondafrique in April 2026. Mali is the only country on the list where diesel costs more than petrol (875 CFA francs): the increase of 28 March took diesel from 725 to 940 CFA francs, up 29 percent, against 13 percent for petrol. Fuel reaches the country in escorted convoys, and the cost of a military escort rose from 600,000 to 800,000 CFA francs per convoy.

In Senegal, the pump price is subsidised. When it announced the increase of 15 August, the government put the real price of diesel at 1,044 CFA francs a litre, against 755 at the pump. The state had already spent more than 245 billion CFA francs on subsidies since January. The official prices are ceilings: a distributor may sell for less, never for more.

In Guinea, not everyone pays 12,000 Guinean francs. The price structure of 1 April 2026 keeps that price for the public, but sets diesel at 15,500 francs for the mining sector, 16,400 francs for exempt operations and local bunkers, and 14,100 francs for the national power utility. A mine therefore pays almost 30 percent more than a motorist. During the shortages of March, the black market in Conakry reached 20,000 francs and above.

In Ghana and Nigeria, the price is free. Ghana's National Petroleum Authority publishes a price floor twice a month and marketers sell above it: the floor has been 17.97 cedis since 1 October, and the marketers' chamber projected diesel at up to 19.60 cedis at the pump. In Nigeria, the reference figure is the Dangote refinery's gantry price, which the refinery changes with the market: 1,850 naira a litre from 4 September, then 1,780 naira since 1 October. The pump price adds transport and the marketer's margin: in late September, diesel sold above 2,000 naira a litre at the pump.

In Niger, the price has not moved since 2024. The government cut it from 668 to 618 CFA francs in July 2024, and the country refines its own crude at Zinder. It is the cheapest diesel on the list.

In Mauritania, the price changes almost every month. A mechanism adopted at the end of 2025 passes international price movements through to the pump. On 2 June 2026, the fourth increase since the war began, diesel went from 59.17 to 62.13 ouguiyas a litre, about 890 CFA francs.

Who sets the price

In the CFA franc countries the price is administered: the state sets it, usually through a committee, and publishes it as a ceiling.

• Côte d'Ivoire: the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy publishes maximum prices every month under an automatic mechanism.
• Burkina Faso: an interministerial committee chaired by the Secretary General of the Prime Minister's office decided the August increase, the first since August 2022.
• Togo: an interministerial order signed by three ministers sets the prices, monitored by a dedicated committee.
• Mali: the Malian Petroleum Products Office announces new prices.
• Benin: the Ministry of Industry and Trade publishes the grid.
• Guinea: the national petroleum company, SONAP, sets prices with a joint committee.

Two consequences for a buyer. First, the price can change overnight by public decision: Togo did it twice this year, in May and again in September. Second, the gap between the subsidised price and the real cost is a debt carried by the state. When budgets tighten, that gap always closes in the same direction.

Our reading

The pump price is a political number as much as an economic one. For a household it is the only price that matters. For a mine, a power plant or a trucking fleet it is a benchmark, rarely the real purchase price. The real purchase price is set at the depot or on the ship: an international quotation, plus freight, storage, the country's taxes and transport to site.

Our view is that 2026 prices will not settle while the Gulf stays tense, and that monthly revisions will continue. A buyer who purchases day to day absorbs every revision. A buyer with a contract, a known price formula and a delivery schedule knows in advance how the price will move. It is the only protection that really exists.

Two gaps in the table deserve a closer look. Between diesel in Niamey and diesel in Bamako there are 322 CFA francs per litre. Between Guinea's public price and its mining price there are 3,500 Guinean francs. Those gaps say everything about the cost of an unsafe road, and about what states charge those who can afford to pay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the price of diesel in Senegal?

755 CFA francs a litre since 15 August 2026. It is a ceiling price set by the state, and the government puts the real cost of the product at 1,044 CFA francs a litre.

What is the price of fuel in Mali in 2026?

In Bamako, diesel costs 940 CFA francs and petrol 875 CFA francs since 28 March 2026. In the centre and north of the country, a litre sells for 1,250 to 2,500 CFA francs.

Which West African country has the cheapest diesel?

Niger, at 618 CFA francs a litre, unchanged since July 2024. The most expensive in our table is Mali, at 940 CFA francs in Bamako.

How are diesel prices set in Ghana and Nigeria?

They are liberalised. Ghana's National Petroleum Authority publishes a price floor twice a month and marketers sell above it; in Nigeria, the Dangote refinery's gantry price is the main reference, and the pump price adds transport and margin.

What we do

GraceRoad buys and delivers diesel through Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Senegal, with partners who hold their own storage capacity, and works with international traders for full cargoes. We deliver to site with a certificate of analysis for every batch. If you burn diesel every month, send us your volume and delivery point: we will propose a price formula rather than a price of the day.

Read next: buying diesel and fuel in West Africa and shipping to Mali under blockade.

Sources: Togo First, 27 May 2026 (Brent from 70 to 126 dollars after 28 February, Togo prices at 27 May); MyJoyOnline, 1 October 2026 (Ghana National Petroleum Authority price floors and marketers' projections); Government of Senegal, reported by Sénégal Direct (prices of 15 August 2026, real price and subsidies); KOACI, 31 August 2026, and Abidjan.net, October 2026 (September and October maximum prices in Côte d'Ivoire, Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy); Burkina 24, 9 August 2026 (diesel increase in Burkina Faso); Bamada.net and Mondafrique, April 2026 (Malian Petroleum Products Office prices at 28 March 2026, prices outside Bamako, escort costs); Soleil FM Guinée, April 2026 (SONAP price structure); Investigator Guinée, 3 March 2026 (Conakry black market); Benin Ministry of Industry and Trade, reported by Bénin Web TV (grid of 1 May 2026); interministerial order of 10 September 2026, reported by Afrique sur 7 (Togo prices at 11 September); Government of Niger, statement of 17 July 2024; Legit.ng, September and 1 October 2026 (Dangote gantry prices); Brand Communicator, 21 September 2026 (Nigerian pump prices); Le360 Afrique, 4 February and 7 June 2026 (Mauritanian mechanism and price at 2 June); exchange rates of 30 September 2026.