Africa’s newest oil refinery begins operations in Angola to boost fuel supply and cut imports
Angola’s Cabinda refinery, the first built since the country gained independence nearly five decades ago and one of the first major refining projects constructed in Africa in decades, has begun exporting fuel.
Black News 
Angola’s Cabinda refinery, the first built since the country gained independence nearly five decades ago and one of the first major refining projects constructed in Africa in decades, has begun exporting fuel.
- The Cabinda refinery in Angola, the country's first since independence, has started exporting fuel and supplying the domestic market.
- Developed at a cost of over $470 million, the plant is primarily owned by Gemcorp Capital and aims to boost Angola’s energy security.
- Currently, the refinery processes 30,000 barrels per day, meeting about 10% of Angola’s fuel demand, with plans to double capacity in a second phase.
- Africa still exports most of its crude oil while importing refined products, creating a costly imbalance and prompting calls for local refining.
Angola’s Cabinda refinery, the first built since the country gained independence nearly five decades ago and one of the first major refining projects constructed in Africa in decades, has begun exporting fuel.
The plant, which cost more than $470 million to develop, is already supplying diesel to the local market while exporting heavy fuel oil and naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock, to international buyers, Bloomberg reported. The facility is owned 90% by Gemcorp Capital LLP, which says the project was designed primarily to enhance Angola’s energy security.
The refinery, located in Angola’s oil-rich Cabinda province, was taken over by Gemcorp around six years ago. It currently has a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, enough to meet roughly 10% of domestic fuel demand.
The company plans to double capacity to 60,000 barrels per day in a second phase, estimated to cost about $700 million, with financial close targeted this year.
Africa continues to export around three-quarters of its crude oil while importing nearly 70% of refined petroleum products, a structural imbalance that costs the continent an estimated $50 billion annually, according to the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation.
Angola imports about 72% of its fuel needs, roughly 3.3 million metric tons annually, according to Sonangol. Officials have increasingly called for greater local refining to retain value within the continent.
Broader refining push in Angola
Angola’s state oil company Sonangol also operates a refinery in Luanda and is developing additional projects, including a 200,000 bpd refinery in Lobito and a 100,000 bpd refinery in Soyo.
Across the continent, large-scale projects such as Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Nigeria, a 650,000-barrel-per-day facility, highlight a broader push to reduce import dependence, although many older refineries have struggled or shut down.
Gemcorp is also exploring further expansion at Cabinda, including a potential petrochemicals facility, as Angola positions itself more strongly in regional fuel supply chains. A second phase will double capacity to 60,000 bpd and add a hydrocracking unit to produce diesel and jet fuel.
Meanwhile, the government is reassessing other downstream projects. The proposed 100,000 bpd Soyo refinery is under review following challenges with its U.S.-led private developer, Quanten Consortium.
