Moanda Urges Socir Revival for Local Oil Refining in DRC
Voices in Moanda, situated on the Atlantic coast of the DRC, are increasingly advocating for the revival of the Congolese Society of Refining Industries (Socir), which ceased oil refinery activities in 1999, according to local sources.
Following a meeting attended by civil society, local officials, and Perenco, a Franco-British oil company, alongside Minister of Hydrocarbons Aimé Molendo Sakombi on Monday, Marcel Matumpa Buka, a national deputy for the region, publicly urged for Socir’s operations to resume and proposed the establishment of a national oil exploitation company.
“We urge the government, through the minister, to establish a national oil exploitation company for refining our own oil,” Buka stated.
Highlighting the state of Socir’s facilities as outdated and unfit for Congolese oil, Buka emphasized the need for dialogue between Socir and the government to facilitate local oil consumption.
Speaking anonymously to ACTUALITE.CD during a visit to Socir last Saturday, a company executive underscored that Socir’s revival would not only create jobs but also potentially lower the cost of petroleum products, currently heavily reliant on imports.
