Tanzania is set to host a large-scale oil refinery in Tanga as part of renewed efforts to strengthen energy production and reduce reliance on imported fuel across East Africa.

The project has gained backing from Tanzanian authorities alongside support from Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, who has expressed readiness to help develop a refinery similar to his facility in Nigeria, with a capacity of about 650,000 barrels per day. He said the project could be completed within a few years if regional governments provide full cooperation.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has also shown support for the plan, suggesting that crude oil from Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo could supply the refinery. He proposed that part of the oil currently intended for export through regional pipelines could instead be refined within the region to add more value locally.

Discussions around the project were highlighted during a recent infrastructure summit in Nairobi, where East African leaders emphasized the need to expand refining capacity and reduce the continent’s dependence on imported petroleum products.

Uganda has separately confirmed it will continue with its own smaller refinery project aimed at domestic needs, while also contributing to regional supply discussions.

The proposed refinery in Tanzania is being positioned as a major step toward deeper energy cooperation in East Africa, with the aim of boosting industrial growth, creating jobs, and retaining more value from the region’s crude oil resources.