A litre of petrol can cost markedly different amounts on either side of an East African border, even though all three countries depend heavily on imported fuel. In late September, a litre of petrol in Uganda was trading at about…
Aliko Dangote’s planned 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Kenya is putting fresh attention on Uganda’s delayed $4 billion refinery at Hoima. But the two projects are not yet in a straightforward construction race. Dangote is scheduled to break ground on the Lamu…
Uganda’s new petroleum import arrangement has given the country a more direct role in purchasing fuel. The question now is how that control benefits the wider economy. For years, Uganda’s fuel largely came through Kenya under an arrangement in which…
By Ali Ssekatawa The online furore that followed President Yoweri Museveni’s unveiling of Uganda’s crude oil trading name, “Pearl Sweet,” reminded me of Shakespeare’s timeless question in Romeo and Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…
Uganda has moved closer to one of its most ambitious economic targets. The economy, according to Trade and Industry Minister Sanjay Tanna, has grown from roughly $50 billion when the government set out its $500 billion ambition to about $69…
A decade after Ernest Rubondo beat Fred Kabanda to become the first Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), Kabanda is set to take over the institution Rubondo spent ten years building. The PAU Board has appointed Kabanda…
Uganda was supposed to produce its first commercial oil by July 31, 2026. That deadline has passed, and First Oil has now been pushed to before the end of June 2027. Yet this is not a story of an oil…
Aliko Dangote is betting that East Africa can become a major refining market. His proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, Kenya, could become one of the region’s biggest industrial investments. But before the plant can turn crude into fuel, it must…
A decade after losing the contest to lead Uganda’s petroleum regulator, Fred Kabanda is again at the centre of the succession debate as PAU prepares for a new Executive Director. Ten years ago, Fred Kabanda was among the leading contenders…
Uganda’s oil has spent nearly two decades underground, in boardrooms, financing negotiations and political speeches. On Wednesday, it finally got a name. President Yoweri Museveni unveiled Pearl Sweet, the commercial identity under which crude from Uganda’s Lake Albert fields will…
For decades, East Africa’s fuel economy has been built around a simple reality, the region’s biggest markets are not necessarily located where fuel enters the continent. Kenya has been able to turn that geography into an advantage. Fuel arriving through…
Uganda is about to find out whether having more dollars is the same thing as having a stronger currency. As the country moves closer to commercial oil production, billions of dollars could begin flowing through an economy that already depends…
Uganda’s oil story is entering a new phase. For years, the central question was when Uganda would produce its first barrel. But following President Yoweri Museveni’s latest engagement with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, a bigger question is emerging, what…
Every industrial revolution has had its defining source of energy. Britain’s factories were powered by coal. The Gulf transformed itself through oil. Norway built prosperity on hydropower. Kenya may have found its long-term competitive advantage in something far older than…
For decades, East Africa has occupied a curious position in the global energy economy. The region possesses significant petroleum resources, strategic ports and one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets, yet it continues to import most of the refined fuels…