President of Kenya, William Ruto (Right), and President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, unveiling the plaque during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals SEZ in Mokowe, Lamu County, Kenya on September 30, 2026.
• Project to be completed in 40 months, Dangote says
• Over 1,000 Lamu youths to receive technical training
• 30% equity offered to East African countries
• Ruto projects 60,000 direct, indirect jobs
• Refinery expected to generate up to 1,000MW of electricity
By Peace Udugba — The Daily Torch Media
Africa’s industrialisation drive received a major boost on Wednesday as President William Ruto of Kenya and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, joined other African leaders to break ground for a $16 billion petroleum refinery and petrochemicals complex in Lamu County, Kenya.
The Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals SEZ, located in Mokowe, Lamu County, is designed to process about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and serve energy and petrochemical markets across East Africa.
Dangote said the project would be completed within 40 months, adding that equipment and technical resources had already begun arriving for the development.
He said the company would apply lessons learned from the construction and operation of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos to accelerate delivery of the Kenyan project.
According to Dangote, the investment will have a strong local-content component, with qualified graduates from Lamu expected to receive employment opportunities while more than 1,000 young people from the county will undergo technical and vocational training.
The Dangote Group also plans to establish a training school to equip young people with skills required for construction, refinery operations and other activities within the emerging industrial ecosystem.
“We want young Kenyans and East Africans with skills here. We want local businesses to become suppliers. We want entrepreneurs around this project,” Dangote said.
He added that the success of the project would not be measured only by its refining capacity but also by the skills acquired by young people, the growth of local businesses and improvements in the livelihoods of host communities.
Dangote said the project would demonstrate that African businesses could undertake complex industrial developments at globally competitive scale and speed.
30% Equity for East African Countries
In a significant regional ownership initiative, Dangote disclosed that 30 per cent equity in the refinery would be made available to East African countries.
He said Kenya and Rwanda had already moved to take advantage of the opportunity.
Dangote explained that the refinery was conceived as a regional project serving Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other markets.
“This refinery is therefore not simply about one country. It is about a region,” he said.
He also called for greater value addition within Africa, arguing that the continent must reduce its dependence on exporting raw materials while importing finished products.
“Africa cannot build lasting prosperity by exporting what it has and importing what it needs,” Dangote said.
Ruto Projects 60,000 Jobs
President Ruto described the development as a “generational undertaking” designed to serve Kenya and the wider East African region.
He put the investment at $16 billion, or about KSh2 trillion, and said the project was expected to create approximately 60,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Ruto also said the refinery would have the capacity to generate up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity, while its integrated petrochemical facilities would include polypropylene and base-oil production.
The Kenyan President directed technical and vocational institutions as well as universities to prepare welders, technicians, engineers and managers for employment opportunities arising from the project.
He said young people from Lamu and neighbouring communities should be given opportunities to compete for jobs associated with the development.
According to Ruto, the construction phase alone is expected to inject more than KSh2 billion monthly in wages into the local economy.
Lamu Governor Backs Project
Lamu County Governor, Issa Timamy, welcomed the investment and criticised attempts to halt the project through litigation.
Timamy said the project could transform the economic fortunes of Lamu by creating employment and business opportunities for residents.
He urged young people and businesses in the county to prepare for opportunities expected to emerge from the development.
The governor, however, stressed the need to protect Lamu’s mangroves, fishing grounds, coastline and cultural heritage, saying industrial development and environmental protection should go hand in hand.
Obasanjo, African Leaders Support Industrialisation Drive
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo praised Dangote’s industrial journey, recalling his transition from trading and importation into large-scale manufacturing.
Obasanjo said the development demonstrated the importance of creating an enabling environment for African entrepreneurs to invest, manufacture and compete at scale.
He also described the Lamu project as an opportunity to strengthen economic links between West and East Africa.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni backed the proposal for regional equity participation, saying African countries should participate in the ownership of industrial projects rather than remain only consumers of their products.
Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, said the refinery would contribute to East Africa’s energy security and reduce the region’s vulnerability to disruptions in global petroleum markets.
He also cited Dangote’s investments in cement, fertiliser and petroleum refining as examples of African businesses operating at large scale.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by President Ruto; Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni; Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed; former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo; President of Benin Republic Romuald Wadagni; President of Togo Jean Lucien Savi de Tové; Dangote Group President/Chief Executive Aliko Dangote and other officials.
