Uganda: Museveni Says Uganda's Refinery Remains a Priority

What the report says

President Yoweri Museveni said Uganda’s planned oil refinery remains a top priority even as the country also advances the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), according to AllAfrica’s distribution of a Nile Post report. He argued that refining crude locally would help cut fuel costs by reducing transport and transit expenses tied to importing finished petroleum products.

The remarks were made on Wednesday during a visit to the Kingfisher Oilfield in Buhuka, Kikuube District, where the Kingfisher Central Processing Facility reached mechanical completion. That milestone was presented as an important step in Uganda’s move toward commercial oil production. Museveni also used the occasion to unveil “Pearl Sweet” as the official name for Uganda’s crude oil ahead of the country’s expected first oil output.

The report said Uganda plans a 60,000-barrel-per-day refinery at Kabaale in Hoima District. It also identified Alpha MBM Investments, a United Arab Emirates-based firm led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, as the lead partner in the project.

Museveni said the country could save money by refining part of its crude domestically rather than sending it to the Tanzanian coast for export handling. More broadly, the comments reflect Uganda’s push to balance export infrastructure with local value addition, a key issue in the country’s long-running oil development plans.