The much-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony for the Dangote East African Refinery in Lamu was held on Wednesday with pomp and colour, bringing together regional leaders and business figures for the launch of one of Africa’s most ambitious energy projects.
Nigerian billionaire and industrialist Aliko Dangote and President William Ruto led the ceremony, which marked a major step towards the development of the Sh2 trillion refinery.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Togo President Jean-Luc Savi de Tové and Benin President Romuald Wadagni were among the high-profile leaders who attended the ceremony.
The planned refinery is estimated to cost about $16 billion, equivalent to roughly Sh2 trillion, and is expected to have a processing capacity of approximately 700,000 barrels per day.
The project is expected to transform Lamu into a major energy and industrial hub while creating opportunities for businesses and workers along the petroleum value chain.
Dangote said the refinery would prioritise crude produced in East Africa, including oil from Kenya’s Turkana fields, before sourcing additional supplies from the Middle East and other oil-producing regions.
The project is also expected to strengthen regional energy security by reducing reliance on imported refined petroleum products and providing a major new market for crude producers in East Africa.
The groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction of a facility expected to have significant economic implications for Kenya and the wider region.
