A Tanzanian conglomerate is on the verge of taking control of one of East Africa’s most strategically significant energy networks in a transaction that could fundamentally reshape fuel distribution and cooking gas markets across the region.
Amsons Group is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire Switzerland-based Oryx Energies, according to sources familiar with the talks, in what would rank among the most consequential private sector energy acquisitions in Tanzania’s history. The negotiations are understood to be handled through Oryx’s Geneva headquarters, though neither party had publicly confirmed the deal as of Monday.
The proposed transaction, valued at around Ksh32.5 billion, goes well beyond a routine corporate takeover. Should it be completed, a Tanzanian-owned company would gain control over critical petroleum storage infrastructure, fuel distribution systems, lubricant operations and a major liquefied petroleum gas business serving multiple East and Central African countries.
Sources familiar with the matter say the acquisition covers Oryx’s fuels and lubricants operations as well as its stake in Tanzania International Petroleum Reserves Limited, known as TIPER, one of the region’s most strategically important petroleum storage facilities.
Located in Dar es Salaam’s Kigamboni industrial area, TIPER is jointly owned by the Tanzanian government and Oryx Energies on an equal basis. Originally constructed as a refinery in the 1960s before its conversion into a storage terminal in 2000, the facility has since grown into one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest petroleum depots. It receives fuel imports from large vessels through a single-point mooring system before distributing products to oil marketers across Tanzania and neighbouring countries. Its supply reach extends to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
For Amsons, completing this acquisition would instantly elevate the group into the top tier of East Africa’s downstream energy industry. Beyond fuel storage infrastructure, the deal would give the conglomerate access to Oryx’s lubricant blending plants, LPG operations and a regional retail fuel network, creating a vertically integrated energy business spanning storage, logistics, distribution and retail.
The proposed acquisition also reflects a broader transformation unfolding across Africa’s economy, where locally owned conglomerates are increasingly moving to take control of strategic sectors historically dominated by foreign multinationals. For decades, much of the continent’s energy infrastructure, including fuel terminals, distribution networks and refining operations, remained in the hands of international commodity traders and foreign-owned firms. That balance is beginning to shift materially.
Amsons has emerged as one of the clearest examples of this transformation. Led by Tanzanian businessman Edha Nahdi, the group has rapidly expanded beyond its traditional industrial base through a series of high-value regional acquisitions and infrastructure investments. In late 2024, Amsons acquired Kenya’s Bamburi Cement in a transaction valued at roughly Ksh38.9 billion, one of East Africa’s largest recent cross-border corporate deals. The company subsequently signed a Ksh32.5 billion agreement to build a clinker plant in Kenya’s Kwale County, secured influence in East African Portland Cement, and entered a Ksh116.8 billion power generation agreement in Zambia. Amsons has also pledged to construct ten hospitals in Kenya as part of its regional expansion commitments.
The Oryx acquisition would push the conglomerate further still into one of Africa’s most politically sensitive and economically strategic industries. Timing is a key factor in its significance, as East Africa’s LPG market is expanding rapidly amid sustained government efforts to move households away from charcoal and firewood. Tanzania has become one of the continent’s fastest-growing cooking gas markets, driven by clean cooking policies, rapid urbanisation and rising energy demand. Subsidy programmes and regulatory reforms have accelerated LPG adoption as authorities work to reduce deforestation, indoor air pollution and dependence on biomass fuels.
According to Tanzanian regulatory data, national LPG consumption rose by 38 percent in the most recent reporting year to surpass 403,000 metric tonnes. That growth has sharpened competition among suppliers. Oryx has long been among Tanzania’s dominant LPG players, though rivals such as Taifa Gas have steadily eroded its market position in recent years. In a further move to stabilise supply and reduce prices, Tanzania recently integrated LPG into its Petroleum Bulk Procurement System, a policy shift that has raised the strategic value of major storage and import infrastructure even further.
The proposed deal also aligns with Tanzania’s broader ambition to position itself as a regional fuel and LPG logistics hub for East and Central Africa. Dar es Salaam and Tanga have increasingly attracted investment from energy companies seeking reliable access to inland African markets with growing fuel demand and limited domestic infrastructure. Should Amsons complete this acquisition, a Tanzanian-owned company would occupy a central position in one of the region’s most important energy distribution corridors.
That outcome would represent not merely a significant corporate expansion but a marker of Africa’s evolving economic power dynamics. Local firms are no longer simply competing within domestic markets. They are increasingly taking direct ownership of the infrastructure defining the continent’s energy future, and Amsons appears positioned to claim one of the most consequential pieces of that infrastructure yet.
Michael Nyachae is a seasoned journalist known for his in-depth reporting and commitment to factual, balanced storytelling. With a strong background in investigative and feature writing, he delivers well-researched, impactful stories that inform and inspire public discourse. Nyachae upholds the highest standards of journalistic integrity and professionalism.
Again, I am certainly considering that the priority should’ve been salvaging the residents from high levels of impoverishment around that poor facility.
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