Museveni: No Harm in More Refineries as Dangote Kenya Project Takes Off

LAMU, KENYA — Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has backed the expansion of oil-refining capacity in East Africa, saying Uganda will proceed with its own refinery while maintaining cooperation with Tanzania on the proposed Tanga project.

Museveni made the remarks in Lamu County, Kenya during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery.

The Ugandan leader said the refinery project reflected a broader shift in Africa towards processing its natural resources at home rather than exporting raw materials.

“I am happy to see Africa waking up and moving away from the 70-year betrayal of exporting raw materials,” Museveni said.

He pointed to Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote as an example of the transformation he said Africa needs, describing Dangote as someone who started as an importer and developed into a “national and continental asset.”

Museveni said Uganda’s own refinery plans would not be undermined by the emergence of additional refining projects in the region.

President Yoweri Museveni

“Uganda’s refinery will be built, and our cooperation with Tanzania on Tanga stands. There is no harm in having more refineries in the region,” he said.

Uganda has long pursued plans to establish a refinery to process crude oil from its Albertine Graben, with the project intended to support domestic petroleum supply and reduce reliance on imported refined products.

The event was attended by host, Kenya’s President William Ruto, Benin’s Minister of State for Economy and Finance Romuald Wadagni, Togo’s President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and representatives of other African governments.

For Museveni, the issue extends beyond petroleum. He said Africa’s economic transformation requires greater value addition, industrialisation and the creation of larger integrated markets capable of supporting production and investment.

“What Africa needs is value addition, industrialisation and bigger integrated markets,” he said.

He also tied industrialisation to East Africa’s long-running integration agenda, arguing that political and economic integration should be viewed as central to the region’s future.

“East African political integration must ultimately be treated as a matter of strategic survival,” Museveni said.

The comments come as East African countries seek to deepen regional trade and industrial cooperation while expanding their capacity to process resources within the region.

Museveni’s remarks also underline Uganda’s position that multiple refining projects can coexist within an increasingly integrated East African market, rather than compete solely for individual national markets.