Lamu refinery eyes Africa's 86 million tonnes fuel import gap

A section of the oil lines connecting Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited to various oil marketers in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

The plan to set up a refinery in Lamu will have a ripple effect on the supply of petroleum products on the continent, owing to new revelations by a report that demand for refined fuels is expected to grow by 56 per cent by 2040.

The State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) notes that by 2040, the continent will be facing an annual shortage of 86 million tonnes of petroleum products.