RUTO FAST-TRACKS DANGOTE REFINERY PROJECT IN KENYA

Kenyan President William Ruto has said his government is fast-tracking administrative processes for the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu, Kenya, ahead of the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Ruto made the remarks during a visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, on Friday. He said Kenya had already secured the land for the project and was working to remove bureaucratic obstacles that could delay its development.

The proposed refinery is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it larger than the 650,000-barrel-per-day design capacity of the existing Dangote refinery in Lagos.

Dangote Group President, Aliko Dangote, said the Kenyan facility would include additional processing units and a million-tonne polypropylene plant to support downstream industries.

The project is also expected to include a 1,000-megawatt power plant, which would be twice the capacity of the power plant at the Lagos complex.

Ruto described the project as a regional investment that could support industrialisation, create jobs and develop technical skills across East Africa.

The Kenyan government has said the wider development is expected to create about 60,000 jobs and strengthen regional petroleum supply chains.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Lamu refinery is scheduled for September 30, 2026.