Top 10 African countries with the highest petrol prices in September

Global oil markets remained under pressure in September as the conflict in the Middle East kept crude prices above $100 per barrel, while tight refined-product supplies and rising freight costs added to the cost of moving fuel across international markets.

Despite reports that Middle East crude oil exports have recovered to about 98% of their pre-war levels, Brent crude still ended September at $103.50 per barrel, 42.8% higher than the $72.48 per barrel it traded at before the U.S. attacked Iran on September 28.

For many African countries, these elevated oil prices have been amplified by heavy dependence on imported refined petroleum products, weak domestic refining capacity, exchange-rate pressures, high transportation costs, and differences in government subsidy and taxation policies.

These factors have created wide disparities in petrol prices across the continent. Data from Global Petrol Prices, updated on September 28, 2026, showed that Malawi had the highest petrol price in Africa at $3.240 per litre, followed by Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.

By contrast, countries such as Libya, where petrol sold for $0.023 per litre, Angola at $0.327, and Algeria at $0.351 remained far below the global average. Nigeria also ranked among the continent’s cheaper petrol markets at $0.997 per litre.

Global Petrol Prices’ figures cover octane-95 gasoline prices and allow for comparisons of retail fuel costs across countries.

Here are the 10 African countries with the highest petrol prices in September, ranked in ascending order.

Kenya ranked 10th among African countries with the highest petrol prices in September, with petrol selling for approximately $1.639 per litre.

The East African country sits at the bottom of the top 10, although its petrol price remains above the global average of about $1.59 per litre reported by Global Petrol Prices for September 28.

With the country still relying on imported petrol, the government recently announced a KSh945 million fuel subsidy to help cushion consumers from rising global oil prices. Also, Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products was reduced to 8% for a further three months until October 2026.

Senegal ranked ninth, with petrol priced at approximately $1.717 per litre.

The West African country’s pump price was about eight cents per litre higher than Kenya’s, placing it firmly among the continent’s most expensive petrol markets.

Earlier in May, the country’s Finance Minister, Cheikh Diba, disclosed that the fuel subsidy bill could exceed its 2026 budget allocation by as much as 1.15 trillion CFA francs ($2 billion).

As one of the African countries with no petrol subsidy, Uganda ranked eighth among African countries with the highest petrol prices, with a litre selling for approximately $1.755.

The country’s petrol price was slightly above Senegal’s $1.717 per litre and more than $0.11 higher than the price recorded in Kenya.

Although the country is developing a new oil refinery in Kabaale, with a capacity to process 60,000 barrels of oil per day, the landlocked country still relies on imported petrol.

Seychelles occupied seventh position, with petrol selling for approximately $1.769 per litre.

Its price was only marginally higher than Uganda’s $1.755 per litre but remained well above the global petrol price average reported for the period.

As an island economy, Seychelles’ fuel market is exposed to international petroleum prices as well as shipping, import, and distribution costs, resulting in elevated prices despite the country’s petrol subsidy regime.

Cape Verde was one of the African markets in the ranking where the retail petrol price exceeded $1.80 per litre.

Ranked sixth, with petrol priced at approximately $1.807 per litre, the island country does not have a permanent petrol subsidy. However, the government occasionally uses temporary price caps, tax reductions, and price-adjustment suspensions to cushion sharp global oil shocks.

The Central African Republic ranked fifth among African countries with the highest petrol prices in September, with petrol selling for approximately $1.818 per litre.

The price was slightly higher than Cape Verde’s $1.807 per litre and placed the country firmly within the five most expensive petrol markets on the continent.

The combination of having no operating petrol refinery and relying on imported refined petroleum means citizens of the landlocked country pay more for fuel than those in most other countries, despite its subsidy regime.

At $1.991 per litre, Rwanda recorded one of the highest petrol prices in Africa during the period and was significantly above Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda.

Rwanda, which is also landlocked like the Central African Republic, has no domestic refinery and therefore relies on imported fuel. The country’s high fuel cost persists despite its subsidy regime.

Sierra Leone recorded the third-highest petrol price in Africa in September at approximately $2.033 per litre.

It was one of only three African countries in the ranking where petrol exceeded $2 per litre and one of only two West African countries in the top 10, alongside Senegal.

In May, the Director of the National Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA), General Brima Baluwa Koroma, revealed that the country was spending $2.6 million monthly on fuel subsidies.

Zimbabwe ranked second among African countries with the highest petrol prices, with petrol selling for approximately $2.060 per litre.

The price was marginally higher than Sierra Leone’s $2.033 per litre but substantially below Malawi, which occupied the top position.

Zimbabwe’s high petrol cost is a result of a combination of factors, including the country’s exchange rate, lack of an active domestic refinery, and absence of a fuel subsidy.

Malawi recorded the highest petrol price in Africa in September, with a litre selling for approximately $3.240.

The figure was significantly higher than that of every other African country captured in the top 10.

At $3.240 per litre, petrol in Malawi was about 57% more expensive than in Zimbabwe, where the price stood at $2.060 per litre.

The differences in petrol prices across African countries are not determined by international crude oil prices alone.

Nairametrics reported in April that Ghana was moving to reduce some taxes and levies along the fuel supply chain as authorities sought to limit the impact of higher global energy prices on pump prices.

In August, as it is in September, Libya, Angola and Algeria were the African countries with the cheapest petrol prices.

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