HOIMA, Uganda — Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa has announced that a new oil refinery at Kabalega Airport is expected to be commissioned by late March or early April, marking a critical step in Uganda’s strategy to process its petroleum resources domestically.
The refinery project is part of a broader infrastructure push as the country nears its target for first commercial oil production in July. The facility, located in the Hoima District, will process crude oil from the Kingfisher and Tilenga upstream projects.
Nankabirwa provided the update following a recent inspection of oil facilities, where she noted that overall project implementation across the sector reached 79 percent last week. While the refinery is slated for an April start, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline is scheduled for technical commissioning on July 31.
“At Kingfisher, we are almost at 100 percent,” Nankabirwa said. “By July, these components will be fully harmonized.”
The Kabalega Airport refinery is expected to receive up to 60,000 barrels of oil per day. The remaining crude volumes will be transported via the 1,443-kilometer EACOP pipeline to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export to the international market.
John Bosco Habumugisha, deputy managing director of EACOP, said construction of the pipeline system is progressing on schedule to meet the midyear deadline. He noted that the project currently employs about 12,000 people across Uganda and Tanzania, with 90 percent of the workforce consisting of East African nationals.
Infrastructure works to support the refinery and wider oil operations are also nearing completion. A 45-kilometer water access project, undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Works, is expected to be finished by April.
The progress in the oil sector comes amid a strengthening of the national currency. The Ugandan shilling registered gains yesterday, closing at 3,437.73 against the dollar, supported by steady foreign currency inflows and balanced market demand.
