Dangote to begin construction of $16 billion East Africa refinery in Kenya
The plant is expected to process 700,000 barrels a day and create more than 50,000 jobs, officials said.
- On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $16 billion East Africa Oil Refinery at Lamu Port, launching construction of the 700,000-barrel-per-day facility.
- Persistent regional reliance on imported refined fuel prompted the development of the 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which aims to achieve energy self-sufficiency while creating over 50,000 jobs across East Africa's industrial supply chain.
- Mobilisation for the project accelerated on Saturday, September 26, 2026, when the MV Da Yang Bai He docked at Lamu Port, delivering 2,930 tonnes of heavy machinery and construction materials required to begin the industrial build.
- Despite the ceremony, the Malindi Environment and Land Court ordered a status quo on disputed land in the Hindi/Manda/Magogoni area until an October 14, 2026, hearing, following a lawsuit filed by 133 local residents claiming ancestral land rights.
- Regional energy infrastructure faces complexity as Uganda and Tanzania develop a rival $20 billion refinery hub at Tanga, forcing the project to rely initially on seaborne crude imports until domestic production from regional fields increases.
106 Articles
106 Articles
Dangote, Ruto to launch $16 billion Kenya refinery amid land protests
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto are set to launch a $16 billion oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, amid protests and legal challenges over land acquisition, compensation, and environmental concerns.
It began on Wednesday (30) the construction of an oil refinery of US$ 16 billion in Kenya, a project designed to offset fuel costs in eastern Africa and to save resources used by the countries of the region in the import of derivatives. The Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto threw the fundamental stone into the construction site, where the entrepreneur plans to replicate the processing capacity of 700,000 barrel…
Planned refinery to supply gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Kenya and neighboring countries, aiming to reduce reliance on imported refined fuel
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