LAMU, Kenya — Six Heads of State and government are expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the proposed Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu, a project estimated to cost more than Sh2 trillion.
President William Ruto is expected to host regional leaders, including Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed and Burundi’s Évariste Ndayishimiye.
Other leaders expected at the ceremony include Benin’s Romuald Wadagni and Togo’s Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, while additional heads of state and government are yet to be confirmed.
The refinery is expected to take up to three years to complete and is intended to supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries, potentially reducing the region’s reliance on imported fuel.
Refinery Targets Regional Fuel Market
The project is expected to serve markets in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dangote Group Chairman and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has said the refinery will have a refining capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The facility is projected to produce more than 100 million litres of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel daily once fully operational.
The project would become Dangote Group’s largest refining investment outside Nigeria as the company expands its energy business across Africa.
“The refinery is like the gate. Once you open and have the refinery, you’ll be shocked at how many people will know to come and invest in Kenya,” Dangote said during an interview in Lagos.
Construction Equipment Arrives At Lamu Port
Preparations for the project have gathered pace, with the Port of Lamu receiving 2,930 metric tonnes of construction equipment aboard the vessel MV Da Yang.
The Kenya Ports Authority said the vessel docked at the port on September 26 ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony.
The arrival of the equipment is expected to support the initial phase of construction of the refinery.
Ruto Links Project To Jobs And Fuel Security
President Ruto, while touring the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria, on September 25, said the Lamu project would strengthen Kenya’s fuel reliability and security while supporting industrialisation.
Ruto said the project could create about 60,000 jobs and attract additional investment into the country.
He also said the refinery has been connected to crude oil supplies through 120 kilometres of subsea cables designed to transport crude from ships to the facility.
