Tullow oil was recently reinstated to explore for oil in Lake Albert. Rene Isekemanga Nkeka, the Democratic Republic of Congo oil minister, said this at the back of a year-long debate.
The concessions are really on the border of the DRC and Uganda - which I think brought in the irregularities. But also, Tullow Oil is responsible for the oil in Uganda (Buffalo-Giraffe oilfield is the largest onshore oil deposit discovered in sub-Saharan Africa in more than 20 years) and of the off shore oil of Ghana.
It will be very interesting to see how the rest of the Eastern Africa nations shape up to accommodate the flow of this oil.
Kenya - already has a pipeline to Uganda which I believe is bi-directional. But there has been resistance on using it from the Ugandan side. There is a lot of political risk in Kenya as the pipeline passes through all regions of Kenya.
Tanzania - is pretty peaceful and could be the answer to political risk in Kenya. The port at Dar could use some boosting.
Congo - could export it to the rest of Central and East Africa. But Congo is Congo, there is too much political risk that makes Kenya a better looking option.
The rest of East Africa could actually be net importers of the oil from Lake Albert and use it for domestic fuel. Kenya and Tanzania have to shape up to allow for the flow of this oil if it is to be exported via vessels. Tanzania, if it could improve its infrastructure, would be a good option. Kenya, if it improves its politics would be the most executable option since the infrastructure is already there.
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