Letter on Africa: New African refineries could help break old dependencies

A profound shift is occurring in the global refining sector, one which might help redefine Africa’s place in worldwide trade networks

This year has seen the ramp-up of the massive Dangote refinery in Nigeria, although not without teething problems with feedstock supply. In Ghana, China’s Sentuo Group recently secured an operational licence for its 40,000b/d Tema refinery development and is advancing plans for a second phase to raise capacity to 100,000b/d. Angola’s 60,000b/d Cabinda refinery is on pace to start production later this year, ahead of a number of other refining projects in the country. Elsewhere in the continent, Uganda is pushing hard for its own refinery to complement the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfield developments and the associated East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Even unstable South Sudan has made noises