Angola is inviting African countries to join the Lobito refinery, and Zambia has already submitted an offer.

Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas on Tuesday invited African countries to take part in the construction of the Lobito refinery, one of four included in Sonangol’s refining strategy.

Diamantino de Azevedo launched the challenge on Tuesday during the Angola Oil & Gas international conference organized by Energy Capital & Power, which brings together politicians and CEOs from major companies in the oil and gas sector until Thursday.

After an international public tender involving five entities failed to convince the Angolan authorities, the state oil company Sonangol was tasked with continuing construction and reopening the refinery.

The minister addressed his colleagues in Namibia, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and other African countries, calling on them to become “partners” of Angola, participating in the Lobito refinery.

Speaking to Lusa, Sonangol President Sebastian Gaspar Martins emphasized that the state oil company “took responsibility for the implementation of this project in order to process oil with 100% responsibility of Sonangol, but without closing the door to other partners.”

According to Sebastian Gaspar Martins, there have already been several expressions of interest, including Zambia with an offer of at least 15%, and Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday, through the voice of Gabriel Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, who participated this morning along with Diamantino Azevedo in the ministerial panel.

“We are completing basic engineering surveys and most likely in early 2023, in the first quarter, we will have a package of conditions to be able to invite more partners to us,” Sonangol CEO added.

Sonangol decided to proceed with work at the Lobito refinery after five proposals for investments in the Lobito refinery submitted in a public tender failed to convince the government.