Uganda’s critical East African Crude Oil Pipeline is 90% complete, paving the way for the construction of the nation's first oil refinery in partnership with investors from the United Arab Emirates, a top treasury official said.

Ramathan Ggoobi, the permanent secretary and secretary to the treasury, announced the progress during the Uganda–UAE Business Forum in Kampala on Wednesday, October 29.

“We are about to complete the pipeline... and once finished, it will allow us to export oil and related products efficiently,” Ggoobi said. “We are going to build our oil refinery... with investors from the UAE.”

The planned 60,000-barrel-per-day refinery will be developed as a public-private partnership, in which the Ugandan government will retain a 40% equity stake, while UAE-based Alpha MBM Investments LLC will hold the 60% majority stake.

Ggoobi emphasized the project's strategic importance, allowing Uganda to refine petroleum products locally to meet regional demand in neighboring countries, including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.

“This refinery may be relatively small, but it is strategic for our economy,” Ggoobi said. “It will enable us to refine part of our oil domestically and earn more value from it.”

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline, or EACOP, stretches from Uganda’s Albertine Graben to Tanzania’s Tanga Port. Construction began in 2023, and upon completion in 2026, it is expected to transport 216,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

The associated refinery complex in Kabaale, Hoima, will be supported by a 212 km multi-product pipeline linking it to a new storage terminal in Namwabula, Mpigi District, and a dedicated water abstraction facility.

“Together, we’re not just exporting oil; we are building capacity, refining expertise, and deepening trade,” Ggoobi said.