President William Ruto on Friday, September 25, toured the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, as Kenya prepares to launch construction of a major refinery and petrochemical complex in Lamu.
Ruto was hosted by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote during the visit, which comes just five days before the planned groundbreaking of the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu on September 30. The Kenyan project is being backed by Dangote Industries and is expected to have a refining capacity of about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The Lagos facility provided Ruto with an opportunity to observe the operations of one of Africa’s largest refining projects as Kenya moves forward with its own refinery plans. The proposed Lamu refinery is estimated to cost about KSh2.2 trillion ($17 billion) and is expected to increase refining capacity while reducing Kenya’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
Ruto has linked the Lamu project to Kenya’s broader industrialisation agenda, saying it will strengthen energy security, increase local value addition, create employment and support regional supply chains. The government has also highlighted potential opportunities for industries linked to the refinery, including fertiliser, chemicals and packaging.
The visit follows discussions between Ruto, Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu in New York earlier this week. The talks focused on financing and final preparations for the Lamu project.
With the September 30 groundbreaking approaching, the Lagos tour places renewed attention on Kenya’s plans to establish a large-scale refining and petrochemical industry at the coast. The project is expected to serve Kenya and wider East African markets once completed.
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