LAGOS, Sept 25 – Kenyan President William Ruto is expected to visit the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos on Friday, ahead of the planned groundbreaking of Dangote Group’s proposed refinery in Lamu, Kenya, on September 30. The Dangote Group confirmed that its President, Aliko Dangote, will receive Ruto at the Lekki facility.
The visit comes as Kenya and Dangote move toward construction of the proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery and petrochemical complex, which is expected to become a major addition to East Africa’s petroleum-processing infrastructure.
Ruto announced after meeting Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) President and CEO Samaila Zubairu on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York that Kenya was ready to begin the project. Discussions focused on financing arrangements and final preparations for the groundbreaking.
“We are ready to break ground on the East Africa refinery in Lamu, a transformative project that will enhance the region’s energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs and advance our industrialisation agenda,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan government expects the wider project to create more than 60,000 jobs, while supporting local value addition and strengthening regional petroleum supply chains.
$16 Billion Refinery Project
The Lamu refinery is estimated to cost between $15 billion and $17 billion, with the facility designed to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The project is expected to serve Kenya and other markets across East and Central Africa.
The project is being developed as part of a broader effort to expand refining capacity in East Africa and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
Dangote has also appointed Engineers India Limited (EIL) to provide project management and engineering, procurement and construction management services for the Lamu refinery and petrochemical complex. The contract is valued at more than $450 million, or over KSh58 billion.
EIL previously worked with Dangote on the development of the Lagos refinery and is now involved in its expansion, creating continuity between the Nigerian project and the planned Kenyan facility.
Dangote’s Expanding Refining Network
The Lamu project forms part of Dangote Group’s wider expansion across Africa’s energy infrastructure.
In Nigeria, the Dangote refinery is being expanded from its current 700,000 barrels per day capacity toward 1.4 million barrels per day. Combined with the planned Lamu facility, Dangote’s potential refining capacity across the two projects would reach approximately 2.1 million barrels per day.
The September 30 groundbreaking will therefore mark a significant step in Dangote Group’s expansion from its Nigerian refining base into East Africa, while positioning the Lamu project as a potential regional hub for refined petroleum products and petrochemicals.
