Several African leaders have attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Aliko Dangote’s proposed $16 billion, 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu County, Kenya.
The ceremony was attended by Kenyan President William Ruto, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Togolese President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, Benin’s Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The refinery, being developed by Dangote Group, is expected to become the largest refinery in East Africa when completed and will increase the region’s capacity to process crude oil locally.
Dangote said construction of the facility is expected to take about 40 months. He added that a shipment carrying about 400 pieces of construction equipment is expected to arrive at Lamu Port within the next 60 days, while 110 pieces of equipment have already been delivered.
The project is expected to create about 60,000 jobs during its construction phase and will form part of an integrated industrial complex that will include a 1,000-megawatt power plant, plastics manufacturing, fertiliser and chemical production facilities.
Dangote also announced plans to establish an engineering training school in Lamu to equip Kenyan workers with the skills required for the project and future operations.
The refinery is expected to produce petrol, diesel, jet fuel and polypropylene and will be capable of processing different grades of crude oil sourced from multiple regions.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Ruto urged Dangote to complete the refinery within the 40-month timeline, saying the investment would support Kenya’s industrial and economic development.
He said the project was expected to generate 60,000 direct jobs and attract significant foreign investment during the construction period, while also supporting the development of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor.
Ugandan President Museveni said the proposed refinery would not affect Uganda’s plan to establish its own refinery, noting that additional refining capacity would support industrialisation and value addition across Africa.
The refinery was initially proposed for Tanzania’s coastal city of Tanga before being relocated to Lamu. Dangote cited the Kenyan location’s deeper waters, stronger ground conditions and access to a deep-sea port capable of handling large crude vessels.
Meanwhile, Honeywell Technologies has been selected to provide engineering services, technology licensing and equipment for the project in a deal estimated at about $300 million.
Honeywell said its existing engineering designs could help reduce the refinery’s development timeline by nearly two years compared with typical new refinery projects.
The Kenya refinery is expected to expand Dangote’s downstream petroleum investments in Africa following the company’s 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lagos, Nigeria.
