Billionaire Aliko Dangote (left) with President William Ruto during the groundbreaking ceremony for Lamu refinery/PCSNigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has given a 40-month timeline for completion of the Sh2 trillion East African Refinery in Lamu, challenging the project to replicate the success of his Lekki refinery in Nigeria.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony in Lamu on Wednesday, Dangote said he expected President William Ruto and other African leaders attending the event to return to Kenya to commission the facility within 40 months.
“Lekki refinery in Nigeria proved that it is capable, so Lamu must prove that it can be repeated. Mr President, and our other respected presidents, my brother, Prime Minister Abiy, I want to assure you will come back here and commission this refinery in 40 months from today,” Dangote said.
The proposed refinery is designed to process approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it one of the largest planned refining facilities on the continent.
Dangote said the Lamu facility would also generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, which he described as twice the generation capacity of his Lagos operations.
“We have 1,000 megawatts that we are going to generate here,” he said.
The project will also produce one million tonnes of polypropylene and base oil, adding to its planned petroleum and petrochemical output.
Dangote further said the refinery would play a role in the international aviation fuel market, with the company targeting supplies equivalent to at least 20 per cent of jet fuel consumed in Europe and the United Kingdom.
He pointed to the performance of his Nigerian refinery during the recent fuel crisis, saying the facility had helped supply jet fuel to international markets.
“That’s what we did during this crisis. If not because of the Dangote refinery, a lot of people wouldn't have had the chance to go on summer holiday in Europe,” he said.
Dangote said the Lamu project would go beyond the construction of refinery infrastructure, promising a wider industrial ecosystem around the facility.
“We are not here merely to build tanks, pipelines, processing units and jetties. We are here to help build an industrial ecosystem,” he said.
He said the project would create opportunities in energy, petrochemicals, logistics, engineering, marine services, manufacturing, skills development, technology and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Dangote also announced plans to establish a training school in Lamu that will prepare local residents for opportunities created by the project.
He told the governor that the company would train 1,000 people from Lamu, including those with engineering degrees and diplomas.
“We are coming here to set up a training school that will train 1,000 of your people,” Dangote said.
The billionaire said the training would help local residents acquire skills required across the refinery's operations and associated industries.
The announcement comes as Kenya seeks to position Lamu as a major energy, logistics and industrial hub.
The refinery is expected to process crude from Kenya and other African producers and supply refined petroleum products to regional markets.
Dangote said the experience gained from building and operating the Lekki refinery in Nigeria would be critical in delivering the Lamu project.
The 40-month target now puts pressure on the project to move from Wednesday's groundbreaking to construction and commissioning within the ambitious timeframe.
