• $4 billion refinery to process 60,000 barrels/day by 2028
• Alpha MBM and state oil firm UNOC lead Kabalega Industrial Park project
• Training program launched to prepare over 1,600 Ugandans for oil sector jobs

Uganda is expanding its oil development strategy beyond the EACOP export route with plans to build its first crude oil refinery. A deal signed in March 2025 with UAE-based Alpha MBM Investments will lead to the construction of a 60,000-barrel-per-day facility. The refinery will be 60% owned by Alpha MBM and 40% by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).

Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2025. Commissioning is set for 2028. The refinery is part of a $4 billion project tied to the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields near Lake Albert. It will anchor the planned Kabalega Industrial Park, a 29 km² hub dedicated to petrochemicals, fertilizers, and logistics services.

A national training program launched in April 2025 will equip more than 1,600 Ugandans with technical skills needed in oil production. The program is led by TotalEnergies, operator of the Tilenga project, in partnership with Chinese firm Sinopec. Training sessions are underway in Kampala and will run through October.

Participants are learning to work on the Central Processing Facility (CPF), where crude oil will be stabilized before entering the EACOP pipeline. The initiative is part of Uganda’s push to build a skilled workforce for upstream and downstream operations and to strengthen its energy value chain.