TANGA: PRIME Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba yesterday inspected the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Tanga Region, expressing satisfaction with its progress.
Describing the pipeline as a strategic initiative valued at 5.65 billion US dollars, Dr Nchemba said the project reflects the strong partnership between Tanzania and Uganda.
“I acknowledge the commitment of our leaders, President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President Yoweri
Museveni of Uganda, in ensuring the successful implementation of this project,” he said.
Currently, the project is 81 per cent complete. Dr Nchemba said that while prioritising Tanzania-Uganda cooperation, the government will also safeguard national sovereignty.
“Tanzania is fully capable of executing large-scale strategic and developmental projects independently,” he said.
The Prime Minister warned against registering companies under Tanzanian ownership while being foreign-owned, a practice aimed at exploiting the project’s local content provisions.
“Some individuals are using Tanzanians to register companies as local. We want to empower Tanzanian owned companies. Anyone caught misusing this system will be shut down and barred from operating in the country,” he said.
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Dr Nchemba added that such actions cheat Tanzanians out of opportunities. “This project has allocated a significant portion for Tanzanians. If anyone is attempting to steal that share, we will take strict action once detected,” he warned.
The Premier also directed project supervisors to give priority employment to workers who have contributed to the project and meet eligibility criteria.
Deputy Minister for Energy, Ms Salome Makamba noted that the pipeline, which began construction in 2022, is expected to be completed by July 2026.
The government of Tanzania holds a 15 per cent stake in the project. The Prime Minister’s visit highlights the government’s commitment to ensuring the project’s timely completion, empowering Tanzanian companies, and maximising local employment opportunities.
EACOP is a 1,443km crude oil export pipeline that will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Kabaale – Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania. It will have a peak capacity of 246,000 bbls/day.
The first 296 km of EACOP are in Uganda and the remaining 1,147 km are in Tanzania.