Total inaugurates upgraded lubricants blending plant in Tanzania

Total Tanzania Ltd celebrated the inauguration of a USD20 million lubricant blending plant in Tanzania, which will see more than 15,000 metric tonnes of lubricants, greases and coolants blended locally for the domestic and export markets.

On 8 February, Tanzania’s Minister of Trade George Joseph Kakunda officially inaugurated the lube blending plant.

Total has lube blending plants in neighboring countries Kenya and Zambia, but despite this fact it has undertaken to upgrade the lube blending plant which was acquired from Gapco, as a sign of trust in the country’s economy and its future, he remarked.

Investment in the lube blending plant will allow the company to reinforce its growth and expansion strategy to contribute to Tanzania’s industrial development, Total Tanzania’s Managing Director Tarik Moufaddal said. For close to 50 years, the French oil and gas major has distributed and marketed lubricants that were imported from other affiliates of the group.

Since 2017, when Total announced the take-over of Gapco, which owned more than 60 service stations and one of the largest depots in the country, the company has made strategic investments to upgrade its facilities, as well as rebrand and integrate Gapco sites.

“We are here to share with you another investment milestone for Total in Tanzania as we announce the official launch of this plant which marks a total global investment of more than USD180 million in Tanzania over the last two years,” Moufaddal said.