A Tanzanian family-owned conglomerate has acquired the downstream energy assets of a Swiss oil major in a deal valued at over $230 million, reshaping East Africa’s fuel market. Amsons Group will take control of Oryx Energies’ Tanzania operations, including retail stations, storage terminals, and distribution infrastructure, pending regulatory approvals.
Largest East African Downstream Acquisition
The transaction marks one of the biggest in the region’s downstream energy sector. Amsons will nearly triple its fuel storage capacity from 300,000 metric tonnes to 800,000 metric tonnes, while expanding its retail network to roughly 300 stations across several countries. The move positions the group as East and Central Africa’s largest independent energy player.
The deal includes equity stakes in key fuel hubs, such as the TIPER storage facility in Dar es Salaam, alongside Oryx’s bulk terminals and retail outlets. Oryx Energies, based in Geneva, noted the sale aligns with its strategy to focus on energy infrastructure and trading, divesting downstream assets in Africa.
Moussa Diao, Oryx’s CEO, called the transaction a milestone for East Africa’s energy sector. “This transaction marks a significant milestone in East Africa’s downstream energy sector, transferring key retail service stations, storage terminals and distribution infrastructure into local hands. Tanzania has been an important part of Oryx Energies’ history, and we are proud of the business we have built. We believe that Amsons Group is well placed to take this business into its next chapter.” The Swiss company has operated in Tanzania for years, and the sale reflects a broader shift in African energy markets, where local firms increasingly acquire assets previously held by European majors.
Amsons’ Expansion Strategy
Amsons has aggressively expanded over the past two years, moving beyond its origins as a bulk petroleum importer. The group has acquired Mbeya Cement in Tanzania and pursued multibillion-dollar buyout offers for Kenyan cement producers Bamburi Cement and East Africa Portland Cement. It has also announced a 1,000-megawatt solar investment in Zambia, linking energy logistics with industrial demand.
The Oryx deal completes a critical piece of Amsons’ strategy: building a private energy corridor connecting Tanzanian ports, Mozambican transit corridors, Kenyan industrial strongholds, and mining belts in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Historically, East African energy networks have operated in silos. Amsons is attempting to change that by physically linking these regions—in effect constructing a private energy corridor. The strategy marks a departure from traditional localised trading toward what the company describes as a self-sustaining infrastructure and energy platform.
With the expanded storage and distribution network, Amsons will gain operational scale unmatched by any independent rival in the region. The group’s fuel depots already span Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and the DRC, and its manufacturing arm now boasts installed cement capacity exceeding 15,000 metric tonnes per day, bolstered by the Mbeya, Bamburi and East Africa Portland acquisitions—though the Kenyan buyouts have yet to close.
Challenges Ahead
The integration of Oryx’s complex downstream portfolio, storage terminals, retail stations, and hub partnerships, will test Amsons’ management capacity. The group is simultaneously expanding into cement, solar power, and fuel logistics across multiple jurisdictions, raising questions about leverage and focus. Completion of the Kenyan cement acquisitions, which have faced regulatory scrutiny, is not assured.
