Cameroon’s Kribi oil refinery is on track to begin partial operations in the second half of 2026, nearly two years ahead of its original June 2028 schedule, local media report.
This will be the country’s first major new oil processing project in decades and is expected to cut fuel imports by almost a third.
The refinery’s initial phase will process 10,000 barrels per day (bpd), about one-third of its planned 30,000 bpd capacity, covering roughly 22% of the nation’s diesel and gasoline demand.
The project, supported by Cstar Petroleum, SNH, Tradex SA, and Ariana Energy, aims to reduce fuel imports, ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves, and provide a more stable domestic fuel supply.
Preparatory work, including a base camp, is already underway, while full-scale construction is scheduled to start in January 2026.
As part of Cameroon’s broader energy strategy, the refinery is being developed five kilometres from the deep-water port of Kribi, on a 250-hectare site, as seen on Business Insider Africa.
Front-end engineering design (FEED) studies are reported to be 80% complete, indicating steady progress toward full-scale construction.
The Dubai-based SPV CSTAR Refinery Project Management LLC-FZ is overseeing the facility, which is designed to produce 30,000 bpd, or about 1.5 million tons annually, with a total investment of $622 million.
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According to Energy Capital Power, the complex will include a fuel storage terminal with a capacity of 250,000–300,000 cubic metres, able to handle diesel, gasoline, Jet A1, kerosene, and heavy fuel oil.
Construction is being managed by a consortium including RCG Turnkey Solutions, Global Process Systems, and China’s Norinco International, while BGFI Cameroon is responsible for raising approximately $215 million for the project.
Once operational, the refinery is expected to generate $250 million annually from marine and petrochemical exports, save around $680 million per year on fuel imports, create over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, and transfer technical skills to the local workforce.
Cameroon currently depends heavily on imported refined fuels following the 2019 shutdown of its only other refinery, Sonara in Limbe.
Diesel and gasoline are sourced from Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, France, and occasionally from the Middle East and Asia.
By refining more domestic crude locally, the Kribi refinery will help reduce exposure to global price swings and supply disruptions.
Although Cameroon produces a modest 40,000–60,000 bpd of crude, mainly from offshore fields in the Rio del Rey and Douala‑Campo basins, oil remains a key source of government revenue and exports.
As older fields decline, expanding domestic refining capacity becomes increasingly important.
The Kribi refinery will enable Cameroon to process more of its crude at home, strengthening energy security and boosting its role as a regional energy hub in Central and Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
