The oil and gas market in East and Central Africa faces persistent storage and distribution challenges, particularly for landlocked countries within the Lamu Port (LAPSSET Corridor).

To address this, crude oil will be received and stored in tanks to build sufficient inventory before processing. This approach ensures operational continuity by mitigating delays in crude supply and preventing disruptions in refining and distribution.

Additional storage tanks will facilitate the transfer of refined products to terminals for further distribution. Ultimately, petroleum products will be distributed via trucks, pipelines, tankers, and barges.

Although new refinery investments in Africa have been limited, the downstream sector is seeing growth in refining capacity expansion. To reduce reliance on imports, major energy companies and national oil corporations are undertaking large-scale refinery upgrades and expansions.

Key refinery expansion hotspots include Nigeria, Uganda, and Egypt