LAMU, Kenya- Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote has announced plans to establish a training school for 1,000 people, including engineering degree and diploma holders, as part of the development of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
Speaking during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Dangote said the project would help build a local workforce capable of constructing and running major industrial facilities.
He also pledged to return for the refinery’s commissioning within 40 months, setting a target of around January 2030.
“We will set up a training school for those with engineering degrees and diplomas,” Dangote said.
The announcement puts technical training alongside construction as a central part of the project, which President William Ruto and Dangote launched in the presence of visiting African leaders.
Building skills for future projects
Dangote said the value of the development would extend beyond the refinery itself, with the skills acquired by local workers supporting future infrastructure projects.
“While we will deploy many engineers at the peak of construction, the true long-term value lies in local capacity building,” he said.
He argued that training African workers would reduce reliance on foreign expertise for large construction projects.
“Moving forward, we will no longer need to rely on foreign labour from China or India to construct our infrastructure — we are training and empowering our own workforce right here,” he said.
The school announcement did not include an opening date, application procedure or a breakdown of the courses to be offered.
Details of how the 1,000 trainees will be selected were also not provided in the remarks.
A 40-month commissioning target
Dangote committed to delivering the refinery within 40 months of the September 30 groundbreaking.
“We will come back to commission the Lamu Oil Refinery in 40 months,” he said.
The proposed facility is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Dangote’s latest estimate places its cost at $16 billion, approximately Sh2.1 trillion.
The commissioning deadline is a commitment by the developer.
Construction, installation and testing will have to be completed before the facility can begin operating.
Supply opportunities beyond engineering
Dangote also described opportunities for businesses supplying the project, saying the needs of a large construction workforce would generate demand beyond Lamu.
“Consider the local supply chain needed just to feed 60,000 workers; it will require support from surrounding counties and neighbouring nations,” he said.
His remarks pointed to food supply and other services needed to support construction, alongside engineering and technical work.
“When you build an industrial project of this scale, you do not simply construct a refinery — you build endless possibilities around it,” he said.
The proposed training intake of 1,000 is separate from the wider workforce figure cited in his speech.
The announcement did not establish that every trainee would receive a permanent job at the refinery.
Machinery arrives as project moves forward
Preparations have already brought heavy equipment into Lamu.
Approximately 2,930 metric tonnes of construction machinery arrived at the port aboard MV Da Yang on September 26.
Dangote said during the groundbreaking that more than 110 pieces of equipment were available, with another 400 expected within 60 days.
The development nevertheless faces an unresolved dispute over part of the proposed project land.
Interim court orders affect activities on disputed portions, with further proceedings scheduled for October 14.
Dangote Group has said the restrictions did not prevent the groundbreaking ceremony.
