Fast Growing African Fuel Markets Spur Gas-Station Deal Making

Drivers queue to fill cans with fuel at a gas station in Nairobi, Kenya.

Photographer: Patrick Meinhardt/Bloomberg
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The rapid expansion of Africa’s fuel demand is driving deal-making activity in the continent’s retail business, as trading houses to oil majors chase the growth that’s lacking in their home markets.

“There is a new wave of consolidation of assets as existing players are either rationalizing (Puma) or expanding (Vivo) their networks, or both (TotalEnergies),” Elitsa Georgieva, executive director at Citac, a consultant that specializes in African refining, wrote in response to questions from Bloomberg. “Meanwhile, there is an increasing number of African energy companies that are expanding rapidly.”