Promise, Power, and Protest: Considerations of the EACOP Pipeline in East Africa

In the heart of East Africa, a transformative project is carving its way from Uganda’s oil-rich Hoima region to the Tanzanian port of Tanga. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443-kilometre heated pipeline, is a flagship infrastructure undertaking, aiming to transport up to 246,000 barrels of oil per day. As of mid-2025, the project is over 60% complete, with the first drops of crude oil expected to flow in 2026. Yet, beneath its promise lies a battleground of competing interests – economic growth, environmental protection, human rights, and national sovereignty.

From Discovery to Decision: Why This Route?

The origin of EACOP traces back to the 2006 discovery of commercially viable oil in Uganda’s Lake Albert region. After years of negotiation and technical assessments, Uganda faced a pivotal choice: whether to transport oil through Kenya to the port of Lamu or via Tanzania to Tanga. After extensive cost analysis studies, the Tanzanian route prevailed – favoured by the considerably better security history along the route, as compared to Kenya, which had in recent past been marred by ethnic unrest among segments of tribes in Central Kenya.

The pipeline is being developed by a consortium of partners: French oil major Total Energies holds the majority stake at around 60%, followed by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) equally boasting 15% and finally China’s Oil and Gas conglomerate CNOOC. The collaboration reflects a blend of international capital, with a large focus on industry expertise.

Engineering a Giant: Scale, Specs, and Status

EACOP is no ordinary pipeline as it is destined to be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world, an impressive engineering feat at the core of it. It is poised to carry waxy crude at temperatures above 50°C. Spanning savannahs, farmlands, and wetlands, it features six pumping stations along its route, which ensure sufficient capacity to travel all these kilometres, and robust insulation to prevent the oil from solidifying, but most especially, sipping into the soil and causing mass contamination.

So far, nearly two-thirds of the pipe has been laid, with welding work advancing steadily, and the coating plant in Tanzania fully operational. Official projections still peg the pipeline’s commissioning between late 2025 and early 2026, though delays remain possible. Approximately 6,000 jobs have been created so far, with a substantial share going to local workers, contributing significantly to the national content goals of the regional players involved.

Bottlenecks in Place

Originally priced at $3 billion, the project’s cost ballooned to an estimated $5 billion including upstream oil field developments. Like most projects of this scale, the financing journey has been rocky. Several Western banks and insurers backed away under pressure from climate campaigners, citing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks. Global insurers like Allianz and Munich Re, among several other financial institutions, publicly distanced themselves from EACOP.

Despite this, the project successfully found a lifeline in regional and Chinese financing. In March 2025, the first tranche of funding closed with the involvement of African Export-Import Bank, Standard Bank, Stanbic Uganda, and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, among others. Insurers from Asia have stepped in to fill the void, but critics say this reflects a concerning global finance divide where ESG standards are inconsistently applied.

An Economic Beacon – or Mirage?

EACOP supporters argue that the pipeline is a long-overdue investment in Uganda and Tanzania’s economic futures. For Uganda, oil exports are forecasted to raise GDP by up to 10%. Infrastructure along the pipeline corridor – roads, training academies, and health facilities – is expected to catalyse this projected growth. Similar trends are forecast in Tanzania with a GDP of approximately 3%, primarily through all the jobs that are to be created upon completion of the pipeline.

Programs like the EACOP Academy are training youth in pipeline construction and safety, while thousands of small jobs have emerged in logistics, transport, and catering. In theory, small businesses along the corridor can thrive – hospitality outlets, fuel stations, maintenance services, and supply chain nodes are all potential beneficiaries.

Yet, many local residents continue to claim that they are being left, behind with a rising number of cases reporting undervalued land, opaque compensation procedures, and bureaucratic hurdles. For example, Mephas Baryamwihahi, a farmer from Kyarushesha, Uganda, told reporters he received just $40 for six acres.

Social Disruption: Lives Uprooted

The official estimate puts resettlement at around 13,000 households, but NGOs argue that over 100,000 people are indirectly affected  through displacement of agricultural land, water sources, and communal space. Many families have received new homes, but these are often smaller than their previous dwellings or lacking arable land.

A recurring complaint is that communities were coerced into accepting compensation under threat of legal action. Civil society groups including AFIEGO and Friends of the Earth Uganda document cases where individuals were pressured to sign forms they could not read, or where payments were delayed for years.

To compound matters, peaceful protests have met harsh responses. Students and activists have been jailed, with some being abducted and beaten while campaigning against the pipeline. Authorities cite national security, while critics say such actions stifle civic space.

Environmental Costs: The Pipeline’s Colossal Carbon Footprint

The pipeline is expected to emit 379 million metric tonnes of CO₂ over its 25-year lifespan –about twice the current combined emissions of Uganda and Tanzania. Its route snakes through ecologically sensitive areas near Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, and the Nile basin, placing vital ecosystems, both flora and fauna, at risk.

Concerns range from oil spills to water contamination and long-term soil degradation. While EACOP claims to have a biodiversity action plan and supports local conservation projects, independent reviews question the effectiveness of these offsets.

This has prompted global outrage. The European Parliament passed a resolution urging a halt to the project pending environmental reassessment. In response, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni accused Western governments of neocolonialism, asserting that African nations deserve the right to develop their resources on their own terms. This bout is far from over, and much attention is on it to see how it progresses.

Legal Pressure and Global Advocacy

International campaigns under the banner #StopEACOP have mobilised thousands – from climate strikes in Europe to protests at Chinese embassies in Uganda. The coalition includes over 260 organisations calling for accountability, climate justice, and indigenous rights.

Legal challenges have emerged too. A case in France targeting TotalEnergies, subject matter expert consultants for Uganda’s refinery efforts, accused the company of violating its duty of vigilance, a legal obligation to prevent human rights and environmental harm across its operations. Though early rulings have gone in Total’s favour, appeals are ongoing.

Despite this resistance, the national governments of Uganda and Tanzania remain steadfast, arguing that the West’s pressure is hypocritical, coming from nations that built their prosperity on fossil fuels.

Local Enterprise: A Path Forward?

Beyond the protests and policy disputes, EACOP presents a unique moment for local communities to shape their economic futures – if systems of inclusion and accountability are strengthened.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) along the pipeline route can benefit from procurement contracts, roadside business growth, and services for workers and travellers. Areas like Kagera, Singida, and Lushoto in Tanzania, or Masindi and Hoima in Uganda, could become regional economic hubs. For example, Hoima is poised to become home to the newest FIFA Grade football stadium in Uganda, with a completion date slated for early 2026.

To truly benefit, local entrepreneurs need access to transparent bidding processes, financial literacy support, and legal assistance. Youth employment programs, like those run by EACOP Academy, should be scaled and integrated with national vocational training. Women-owned enterprises, especially in catering and construction, must be prioritised under gender equity clauses.

Above all, the inclusion of community voices in decision-making must go beyond consultation. It must involve co-creation.

What Comes Next?

As the pipeline nears completion, the real questions are no longer technical but political: will the money for its final stages appear without Western lenders or insurers? Will the courts halt or reshape it? Will communities see real compensation and environmental protection, or will promises dissolve once the oil flows? Above all, will the benefits trickle down to the grassroots—or simply enrich multinationals? These are not questions about a single pipeline, but about East Africa’s development bargain: who calls the shots, who pockets the rewards, and who pays the price.As the pipeline nears completion, the real questions are no longer technical but political: will the money for its final stages appear without Western lenders or insurers? Will the courts halt or reshape it? Will communities see real compensation and environmental protection, or will promises dissolve once the oil flows? Above all, will the benefits trickle down to the grassroots—or simply enrich multinationals? These are not questions about a single pipeline, but about East Africa’s development bargain: who calls the shots, who pockets the rewards, and who pays the price.

These questions go far beyond the pipeline. They strike at the heart of East Africa’s development model: who decides, who benefits, and at what cost?

Conclusion

The EACOP project is a mirror reflecting both the hope and heartbreak of African development. For governments, it is a chance to unlock billions in oil revenues and reposition East Africa on the global energy map. For communities, it is a daily negotiation between promise and peril.

Development, if it is to be just, cannot simply be a pipeline – it must be a process. A process that centres people, protects the planet, and delivers prosperity not only in GDP points, but in lived experience. In the months ahead, the world will be watching. But more importantly, East Africans themselves will be deciding – on their land, with their voices, and for their future.