Yemisi Izuora
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has announced that he had met with Aliko Dangote at Nakasero, where they discussed about the development of a proposed regional oil refinery in East Africa.
During the meeting, the president explained that his primary focus remains on value addition. He detailed why Uganda has historically refrained from exporting raw crude oil, arguing that doing so allows foreign entities to exploit the country’s natural resources and reap the financial rewards of refined products.
“Without refining our oil, it would not make economic or strategic sense to simply export crude oil while others benefit from the finished products,” Museveni stated in a report linked to tweet posted on X on May 17, 2026.
The president expressed strong support for a larger regional refinery, describing it as a crucial step toward “African integration and shared prosperity.”
He further emphasized that East African nations must move past an individualistic mindset and overcome fragmented markets, urging regional cooperation to execute larges scale projects that benefit the entire populace.
“We cannot continue operating as fragmented and weak markets,” Museveni wrote. “If East Africa works together, such projects become more viable and beneficial to our people.”
He concluded his message by noting that Uganda remains committed to its domestic energy goals alongside this new venture: “Uganda is ready to support the regional refinery initiative while also continuing with the development of our own refinery in Hoima.”
Aliko Dangote has in recent years expressed interest in expanding refining and energy investments beyond Nigeria, with discussions increasingly centered on East Africa as the region seeks to reduce its dependence on imported petroleum products.
The proposal discussed with Yoweri Museveni aligns with broader regional ambitions to build integrated energy infrastructure capable of serving multiple East African markets rather than relying on fragmented national supply chains.
Among East African countries, Kenya stands out as a strategic player due to its position as the region’s largest fuel import and logistics hub.
The country hosts key infrastructure assets including the Port of Mombasa, extensive fuel storage networks, and pipeline systems that distribute petroleum products to neighboring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo