Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has asked Kenya’s President William Ruto to explain why he publicly announced plans for an East Africa joint oil refinery to be sited in the Tanzanian city of Tanga without informing her government first.
The proposal emerged on 23 April 2026, when President Ruto spoke about it at the Africa Infrastructure Summit in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, which was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote.
He disclosed that the planned East Africa joint mega-refinery project in Tanga would involve Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya.
Tanga is a port city in northeastern Tanzania.
The issue came up again during Ruto’s visit to Tanzania on Monday 4 May, with President Samia raising it.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Dar es Salaam, President Samia said: “While we were speaking inside, I pressed Ruto and asked him, ‘You went ahead and announced a refinery in Tanga, which I was not aware of?”
Ongoing regional discussions
Responding, President Ruto said the proposal was part of broader ongoing regional discussions on how to better utilise local resources to drive industrialisation and economic growth.
He said: “I have been informed that my decision to announce the building of a refinery in Tanga has not sat well with you, Tanzanians.”
He added: “If I had known, I would have announced that a refinery would be built in Mombasa”, which is a city in Kenya.
The Kenyan leader said Tanzanians should consider themselves “lucky” as leaders mull siting such an oil project in their country.
President Samia called for closer cooperation between the two countries to address common challenges.
The Tanga refinery has also attracted interest from the private sector.
Dangote refinery
Industrialist Aliko Dangote said he would be willing to build a 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in East Africa, similar to his $20-billion facility in Nigeria, if governments in the region support the project. He said the refinery could be delivered within four to five years.
During Ruto’s visit, Kenya and Tanzania signed several deals covering energy, agriculture, railway development and maritime cooperation, among others, while vowing to ease non-tariff trade barriers by 30 June.
The two countries are East Africa’s strongest trade pair, with bilateral trade reaching $860.3 million in 2025, accounting for nearly 40% of intra-East African Community trade.
