Why East Africa chose Tanzania’s Tanga over Mombasa for major oil refinery project

[0:00]the body to the much. Why? Now, the East African regions quest to put up a major oil refinery in Tanga location in Tanzania is gaining momentum. And coming at a time global events are having rather a major impact on the African continent and its energy security. Fronted by President William Ruto and Uganda's head of state where, the Tanga refinery is poised to position the region better and boost industrialization. KTN's will keep Kimboi, details. we will commit to lead. The prospect of putting a refinery in Tanga was announced by President William Ruto at the Africa We Build Summit 2026 weeks ago. Something that Tanzania's President Samia Sulu who claimed she was not aware. And by the way, we are discussing a refinery in Tanzania. The two of you. Yes, we are not discussing a refinery in Kenya or Uganda. We are discussing that we're going to have a joint refinery in Tanga to benefit all of us. because that refinery is going to take on board the oil from DRC, the oil from Kenya, the oil from South Sudan, the oil from Uganda. Sasa alimbana Ruto akamwambia umekwenda kutangaza refinery Tanga mbona mimi sijui. Atasema mwenyewe pale kwa nini katangaza. Kenya's president double down making a case for the joint refinery. Nimeambiwa ya kwamba tangazo letu kwamba tujenge refinery pale Tanga. Imewa kiasi. Lo ningejua, ningetangaza hiyo refinery ijenngwe Mombasa. Because the building of a refinery is a big opportunity. It is an investment that the government of Kenya is willing to invest. The government of Uganda is willing to invest. You have had I'm sure my good brother Paul Kagame, I'm told said yesterday they are willing to invest. The discussions comes at a time Africa is seeking economic autonomy by creating local capacity, with Uganda already planning to build its own refinery and investor. Ali Dangote expressing commitment to invest in the joint refinery. build the small refinery which we had planned of 60,000, 60,000 that will be 180,000. Of course, the this was for the internal market of Uganda. and for the parts of Tanzania and parts of Kenya which are near Uganda. Even now I can give commitment to the two presidents that were here. If they will support the refinery, we'll build the identical one that we have in Nigeria. 650,000 barrels. Experts say that for proper value addition of all from the larger East African region, collaboration is needed to build capacity that's viable. We will probably at the best be producing about 150, 200,000 barrels a day from Turkana. So, to make that work, we should have had to talk Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan. If you put those three together, what they have found in Uganda, what they found here and what South Sudan is producing already. We'd get to about 500, 600,000 barrels per day. and put in a facility that when you look at the bigger economic, the bigger region would actually begin to add value and impact on the economies of all three countries. But a political discussion on that is not easy. Disruption in the Middle East leading to price volatility is pushing countries in Africa to build local capacity, in processing and value adding the continent's crude with the proposed Tanga refinery being an anchor for the East African region. Now, pretty much now residents of Kagi and Kalacha areas of Marbit County.