Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has selected US-based Honeywell Technologies to provide engineering services, technology licensing and equipment for the planned Sh2 trillion East African Refinery in Lamu.
The technology and engineering works are valued at approximately $300 million (Sh39 billion), making Honeywell a major US industrial technology partner in the planned 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery.
The announcement came Wednesday as President William Ruto and Dangote broke ground for the refinery in Lamu County, marking the formal start of construction of one of Africa's largest planned refining projects.
Honeywell Technologies said it would provide technology licensing, engineering services and equipment for the refinery, which is expected to produce diesel, petrol and jet fuel for Kenya and other markets across East Africa.
The company said its involvement would build on its existing relationship with Dangote, including work at the Dangote refinery in Nigeria.
“Large-scale refinery projects require a combination of proven technologies, engineering expertise and digital capabilities,” said Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell Technologies UOP.
“Through our long-standing relationship with Dangote, we have developed proven large-train engineering designs that can be applied to the Kenya refinery to help significantly reduce time-to-market,” he said.
Honeywell said it would also provide modifications to enable the Lamu facility to process a wide range of crude feedstocks.
The flexibility is expected to allow the refinery to source crude from different producers and regions, reducing reliance on a single crude source or supply route.
Gattupalli said the approach would help improve operational flexibility while supporting the project's objective of strengthening regional fuel supplies.
The Lamu refinery is expected to serve Kenya, East Africa's largest economy, while also exporting refined petroleum products to other countries in the region.
The project is being positioned as a major component of Kenya's plans to strengthen energy security, reduce reliance on imported refined petroleum products and establish Lamu as an industrial and energy hub.
Honeywell said the project demonstrated how established refining technologies and digital solutions could help accelerate execution while supporting energy security, supply-chain resilience and economic growth.
The company's partnership with Dangote dates back nearly a decade and has included work on the Nigerian group's refining and petrochemical operations.
Over the past year, Honeywell and Dangote have announced agreements under which the US company would provide technology licensing, engineering, catalyst and digital services to support increased fuel and petrochemical production at the Dangote refinery in Lekki.
Honeywell is also supporting efforts to expand refining capacity, optimise existing assets and accelerate the delivery of products to the market.
The Lekki refinery, which began operations in Nigeria, provides the technology company with experience of working with Dangote on a large-scale refining facility.
Honeywell said the lessons and designs developed through that collaboration would be applied to the Kenyan project.
The company has an established presence in Africa, where it provides technology and engineering solutions to energy and industrial projects.
It said its work spans early project development, financing support, workforce training and lifecycle services, with a focus on strengthening local capabilities.
The Lamu refinery is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities while supporting businesses across logistics, engineering, manufacturing, marine services, energy and petrochemicals.
Dangote has also announced plans to establish a training school in Lamu that will train 1,000 local people for opportunities created by the refinery and associated industries.
The businessman has set a 40-month timeline for completion of the refinery, telling Ruto and other African leaders attending Wednesday's groundbreaking that he expected them to return to Lamu to commission the facility.
With Honeywell selected for key technology and engineering works, the project is moving into a new phase as Dangote seeks to replicate its Nigerian refining experience in Kenya.
