Dangote, Vitol, Alpha MBM: Who will win East Africa’s oil refinery race?

Refining Battle East Africa’s efforts to reduce fuel imports have led to a cautious standoff among energy giants, where market influence will depend more on control of the region’s crude, pipelines, and supply networks than on refinery capacity. Workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, July 2024 © REUTERS/Marvellous Durowaiye Published on August 18, 2026 at 07:00 am (GMT +1) East Africa’s growing appetite for refining is fuelling a high-stakes contest among some of the world’s biggest energy players – Nigeria’s Dangote, global commodities trader Vitol and UAE-backed Alpha MBM – as governments seek to reduce their dependence on imported fuel.