East African Community (EAC) partner states are in discussions to establish a joint oil refinery at Tanzania’s port city of Tanga, in a move aimed at reducing the region’s reliance on imported petroleum products and strengthening energy security.
The proposed facility, backed by several regional governments including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, would process crude oil sourced from across the region, according to recent statements by officials.
Kenyan President William Ruto said the project would integrate regional oil resources and serve multiple economies.
“We’re going to have a joint refinery in Tanga to benefit all of us,” Ruto said, adding that the plant would handle crude from “DRC, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda.”
The refinery plan comes as East Africa continues to import nearly all of its refined petroleum, leaving economies exposed to global price shocks and supply disruptions.
Industry analysts say a regional refinery could significantly lower fuel costs and improve supply stability across the bloc.
“Our strategy on refining is clear. Uganda has sufficient crude oil to support some small domestic refineries as well as a regional refinery in Tanga,” said Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni.
Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, has expressed interest in leading the project, modelled on his 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Nigeria. He indicated the facility could be completed within four to five years, subject to agreements among participating governments.
“If we agree with the governments… we will lead and make sure that refinery is built,” Dangote said.
“My commitment today here is that if we agree with three or four governments here about the refinery we would lead and make sure that the refinery is built within the next 4 or 5 years<” said Aliko Dangote.
Preliminary details suggest the Tanga refinery would be strategically linked to regional infrastructure, including pipelines connecting oil fields in Uganda and potentially Kenya, positioning the port as a central energy hub.
The initiative aligns with broader regional energy developments, notably the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a 1,443-kilometer pipeline expected to transport crude from Uganda’s Lake Albert basin to Tanga for export.
While discussions are ongoing, the refinery project underscores a renewed push within the EAC to deepen economic integration through shared infrastructure and value-added processing of natural resources.
Analysts caution, however, that financing, regulatory coordination and environmental considerations will be key to moving the project from concept to implementation. If realized, the Tanga refinery would mark one of the most significant industrial investments in East Africa’s energy sector in decades, potentially reshaping regional fuel supply chains and reducing dependence on imports.
