Zambia’s Energy Move: From Importing Fuel to Co-Owning the Source

In a landmark move for regional cooperation, Zambia has secured a 26% stake in Angola’s Benguela (Lobito) oil refinery—signaling a powerful shift in Africa’s development strategy. No longer content with being a passive consumer or transit corridor, Zambia is stepping into the arena as a co-investor in one of the continent’s most strategic energy assets.

This partnership, expected to be operational by 2026, reflects a broader vision: intra-African collaboration rooted in equity, not aid. With the refinery and the planned Lobito–Lusaka pipeline, Zambia is laying the groundwork for energy security, lower fuel costs, and long-term economic gains. It’s a model that keeps value chains within Africa, empowering countries to extract, refine, and distribute their own resources on their own terms.

More than a fuel deal, this is a blueprint for a different Africa—an Africa that owns its future. It challenges the historic dependency on foreign stakeholders and reframes regional cooperation as a lever for transformation.

If replicated across sectors, this kind of strategic, equity-based partnership could redefine the continent—not as a site of extraction, but as a hub of shared value, innovation, and sustainable growth.

Africa doesn’t just need development. It needs ownership. Zambia just raised the bar.