Kinshasa pins hopes on eastern oil export route

Regional mega-project could help overcome infrastructure barrier to Congo development, but hurdles remain

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is in talks with Uganda and Tanzania over securing access to the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) as a potential export route for its significant oil resources. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, the DRC’s minister for hydrocarbons, confirmed that negotiations are in progress and suggested that “everyone wins” if his country is able to secure export capacity in the TotalEnergies-led pipeline project. The connection will allow crude to be exported via the Tanzanian port of Tanga and is scheduled to be complete in time for the associated Tilenga and Kingfisher projects—led by TotalEnergies and China’s state-controlled Cnooc respectively, in what together for