By Business Insider Reporter
East Africa’s long-delayed crude oil pipeline has taken a major step forward after the region’s top court dismissed a lawsuit that had threatened to stall one of Africa’s most consequential energy projects. The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) last week threw out a petition seeking to halt the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), ending a five-year legal battle that had become a symbol of global tensions over Africa’s right to develop its own resources.
For Uganda and Tanzania, the ruling is more than a legal victory – it is a strategic breakthrough that unlocks new certainty for a project expected to transform the regional energy landscape.
For the African Energy Chamber (AEC), which has long argued that African nations must guard against foreign-funded attempts to obstruct energy development, the decision is a powerful affirmation of sovereignty and economic self-determination.
EACOP – the 1,443-kilometre heated pipeline that will transport 210,000 barrels of Ugandan crude per day to Tanzania’s port of Tanga – has drawn global attention, not only for its scale but for the clash it represents between African development priorities and Western environmental activism.
The court ruled that the petition by civil society groups was filed outside the treaty’s 60-day limit, reaffirming an earlier judgement. While technical in nature, the decision sends a broader message: East Africa will not allow a strategically vital infrastructure project to be held hostage by prolonged legal manoeuvres.
“This ruling reinforces what we have always maintained: development cannot be outsourced, delayed or derailed by external groups using African courts for ideological battles,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.
Economic stakes: Jobs, local content and energy security
EACOP is the backbone of Uganda’s emerging oil sector and a catalyst for Tanzania’s ambitions to become a regional logistics and energy hub.
Its construction is expected to generate thousands of jobs, stimulate local supply chains, and open new opportunities for contractors, transporters, and service providers.
The AEC, which has conducted field visits to communities along the pipeline route, says the on-ground reality contradicts the narrative often dominating Western media.
“Communities are not calling for projects to be shut down; they are asking for progress, opportunity and the chance to benefit from their own natural resources,” Ayuk emphasised.
A rising trend: Foreign-funded “lawfare”
The EACJ ruling comes as African governments and energy companies confront what the AEC describes as a surge in “lawfare” – the use of litigation, often supported by foreign foundations, to delay or block fossil-fuel projects.
South Africa has recently become a flashpoint: court challenges have stalled offshore exploration by TotalEnergies and Shell for years, including the high-profile Wild Coast case and the 2025 ruling that overturned the environmental authorisation for Block 5/6/7.
Similar patterns have emerged in Mozambique, where lawsuits filed in the US and France have slowed progress on the multi-billion-dollar Mozambique LNG development.
While environmental oversight remains essential, African policymakers argue that the cumulative effect of such litigation disproportionately weakens African economies, worsens energy poverty and perpetuates dependency.
A vote of confidence in african institutions
For energy investors and regional policymakers, the EACJ ruling offers renewed reassurance that African courts can independently adjudicate high-stakes disputes while safeguarding strategic economic interests.
Uganda, Tanzania, TotalEnergies and CNOOC – all central players in EACOP – are now better positioned to accelerate project execution. With early works already underway, the ruling is expected to unlock momentum in procurement, financing, and construction planning.
The AEC called the judgement “a statement of confidence in African sovereignty,” insisting that Africa cannot meet its development needs if critical energy systems are continuously stalled by litigation backed from outside.
A defining moment for East Africa’s energy future
As global investment flows shift and competition for energy security intensifies, East Africa is seeking to position itself as a stable, rules-based region capable of hosting world-class infrastructure projects. The EACOP ruling reinforces that ambition.
For now, the message from Kampala, Dar es Salaam and the business community is clear: Africa is prepared to chart its own course.
“The project is lawful, strategic and essential for East Africa’s long-term prosperity,” Ayuk said. “Africa must be allowed to build its own energy future.” The ruling may not silence broader debates over fossil fuels, climate responsibility and global equity. But it undeniably marks a turning point—one that signals East Africa’s determination to balance environmental considerations with the economic imperatives of an industrialising continent.
