Kampala – Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has thrown his weight behind a proposed regional oil refinery project after meeting Nigerian billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote at State Lodge Nakasero to discuss East Africa’s energy and industrial future.
President Museveni said Uganda was ready to take up shares in the proposed facility, stating: “We shall support Mr. Dangote, and we are ready to buy shares in the regional refinery because our goal is regional integration and industrial development.”
The President said Africa must stop exporting raw materials and instead process its resources at home to create jobs and build stronger economies. “We have always been against the export of unprocessed raw materials. That is why Uganda insisted on having a refinery as part of our oil development strategy,” he said. 
Museveni explained that Uganda’s oil journey had taken longer than expected precisely because the government insisted on securing value addition before exporting crude oil. He said Uganda’s planned refinery in Hoima would continue alongside broader regional discussions on a larger East African facility capable of serving multiple countries.
“We have no problem supporting a broader regional refinery that can guarantee energy security for the region while Uganda also develops its own refinery,” he said, adding that regional cooperation would make such projects more viable. “If East Africa works together, these projects become more viable and beneficial to all our people.”
The proposed refinery is a massive undertaking valued at between 15 billion and 17 billion US dollars, with a planned capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It is expected to serve Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other regional markets.
Dangote said his team is currently assessing possible locations for the refinery, including Tanga, Mombasa, and Lamu, while consultations with regional governments continue. “This is a continuation of discussions we held with regional leaders in Nairobi. We want to establish a refinery that can support East Africa’s growing energy needs,” he said.
Those discussions took place at the Africa We Build Summit 2026 held in Nairobi, where the regional refinery proposal was first tabled before East African leaders.
Dangote said the project would process crude oil from different sources across the region and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products. On jobs, he was equally reassuring. “Jobs will not be a problem. In our refinery in Nigeria, we employ people from many nationalities, and East Africans will also benefit from this project,” he said.
He also invited officials from Uganda’s energy sector to visit the Dangote refinery in Nigeria for further technical discussions, and congratulated President Museveni on his recent inauguration. “I congratulate Your Excellency upon your inauguration and pray that the Almighty God keeps you safe, healthy and strong as you continue leading Uganda,” Dangote said.
Permanent Secretary at Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Engineer Irene Bateebe, said Uganda’s own refinery plans remain commercially viable given the country’s quality crude oil and growing regional market, and that the government would continue engaging stakeholders on both the national project and broader regional energy cooperation.
The proposed regional refinery is expected to complement ongoing infrastructure projects in the region, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline linking Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania.
