Sahara Energy’s Tanzania subsidiary ramps up petroleum product storage capacity to 72m litres

…Undertakes corporate citizenship projects in communities

Ben Eguzozie, in Port Harcourt

Sahara Energy’s Tanzanian subsidiary, Sahara Tanzania Ltd, has expanded its storage capacity for petroleum products to 72 million litres. The company said the move was in line with its promise to promote availability and reliability of top-quality products in the East African Tanzania and other neighbouring African countries.

Sahara Energy began the Tanzanian operations in 2015, expanded its infrastructure from 10 loading arms and 4 storage tanks with a combined storage capacity of 36 million litres to now 20 loading arms with 8 storage tanks, with a combined capacity of 72 million litres.

According to Olumuyiwa Aladejana, Country Manager, Sahara Tanzania Limited, the company’s business has spurred economic development in Tanzania through availability of petroleum products.

The company has an ongoing expansion project aimed at increasing its storage capacity further to store more Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and JET A1. The project is expected to make Sahara Tanzania one of the largest storage terminals, providing an avenue for increasing employment opportunities and economic growth in Tanzania.

“It is also important to note that our terminal is automated, and we have since committed to the construction of 2 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanks which gives a total capacity of 6,000cbm as part of Sahara’s drive for technological innovation and enhancing access to clean energy in Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi and Congo,” Aladejana added.

He told media analysts on Sahara Tanzania’s performance, saying the company was delighted at the opportunity to support the nation’s Vision 2025 as a leading player in the oil and gas sector, which contributes significantly to economic growth and development in Tanzania.

Tanzania’s Vision 2025 represents a broad vision of its development goals as a middle-income country by 2025, characterized by high-quality livelihoods; peace, stability, and unity; good governance; a well-educated and learning society; and a competitive economy capable of sustainable growth and shared benefits.

The Country Manager said: “Sahara Tanzania is committed to contributing to the achievement of this noble target through our operations in the energy sector and interventions by way of sustainable development projects in Tanzania. We commend the government’s robust policies and firmly believe Tanzania is on course to achieving the target and Sahara will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders in this regard.”

He said it was encouraging to see energy conglomerate, Sahara Group and other leading Africa energy companies ramp up their competitiveness in the global energy market.

Aladejana said African countries however, need to complement their product specifications to boost intra-Africa transactions. “We see the world leaning towards cleaner fuel with lower carbon and Sulphur content. Standardized specifications will facilitate easy flow of products across African regions, ultimately making Africa more competitive.”

Mwajabu Mrutu, Business Development Executive at Sahara Tanzania, said the company’s commitment to bringing good will to the nation is encapsulated in its corporate citizenship programmes. He said the company’s interventions include upgrading the Library at Pugu Secondary School that serves over 1,000 students and the provision of toilets and washrooms at Salma Kikwete Secondary School to promote the Sustainable Development Goal that speaks to good hygiene and sanitation.