Kenyan President hails Dangote Refinery as group targets $100bn African expansion

Kenyan President William Ruto has described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos as “a masterpiece of science, engineering and art” after touring the facility, while reaffirming Kenya’s commitment to the proposed $17 billion East African Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Lamu.

Ruto, who visited the 700,000 barrels-per-day refinery after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said seeing the facility firsthand had reinforced his confidence in the proposed Kenyan project.

“Coming here and seeing it for myself, I can confirm that I have seen a masterpiece of science, engineering and art. To my brother Aliko, congratulations. I always knew Nigerians to be very brave people and go-getters, but I did not anticipate that it was at this scale,” Ruto said.

The Kenyan president said preparations had been concluded for the groundbreaking of the Lamu refinery, which is expected to serve as a major regional energy and industrial project.

He said the facility would support industrialisation, create employment, develop engineering and technical capacity, improve energy security and strengthen economic integration across East Africa.

“This is not a Kenyan refinery; it is going to be a regional refinery. We are positioning our continent as an emerging growth centre, and this project will help accelerate industrialisation, create jobs, enhance engineering capabilities and strengthen Africa’s economic competitiveness,” he stated.

Ruto also assured investors that his administration would address bureaucratic challenges that could delay the project.

“The Government of Kenya is 100 per cent behind this project. We have secured the required land and are working to ensure that we spend our time building rather than navigating administrative delays,” he said.

The president praised Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive of Dangote Group, for his understanding of the technical and operational details of the Lagos refinery.

“The detail with which Aliko Dangote understands this plant is remarkable. Unless you understand the details, you are unable to make the right decisions. That commitment to excellence is one of the reasons behind the success of this project,” he added.

Dangote targets $36bn revenue

During Ruto’s visit, Aliyu Suleiman, Chief Strategy Officer of Dangote Group, said the conglomerate recorded approximately $17 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026 and was targeting $36 billion for the full year.

“The revenues of the group have grown significantly over the last five years. From $18 billion last year, we are on track to get to $36 billion this year. Our half-year revenue is already about $17 billion,” Suleiman said.

He attributed the growth to investments across cement, sugar, fertiliser, petroleum refining, upstream oil and gas and other strategic businesses.

Suleiman said the group’s expansion plans were guided by its Vision 2030 strategy, which seeks to expand its industrial operations across Africa and build globally competitive businesses.

“Between 2020 and 2025, the group executed a capital expenditure programme of approximately $50 billion. Over the next five years, we intend to invest twice that amount as we accelerate our expansion across Africa,” he stated.

According to him, the proposed Lamu refinery and petrochemical complex would be a major component of Dangote Group’s ambition to build a $100 billion African industrial enterprise.

“The East African refinery in Kenya is going to be a key component of our journey and our dream to get to $100 billion. It is going to be a major contributor,” he said.

The planned project is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is estimated to cost approximately $17 billion.

As part of preparations for the Lamu project, Dangote Group has signed a contract worth more than $450 million with Engineers India Limited (EIL) for project management consultancy as well as engineering, procurement and construction management services.

The agreement builds on EIL’s experience in the development of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos.

Suleiman said the group’s expansion programme would extend beyond refining to include port infrastructure, gas infrastructure, liquefied natural gas, upstream oil and gas, power generation, mining and other industrial investments across Africa.

Meanwhile, Dangote Group is planning to increase the processing capacity of its Nigerian refinery from 700,000 barrels per day to about 1.4 million barrels per day through the addition of a new 750,000 barrels-per-day crude distillation unit.

The expansion is expected to increase the refinery’s capacity to supply refined petroleum products to domestic and international markets.

Ruto’s visit comes as Dangote Group pursues a broader expansion strategy across Africa, with the proposed Kenyan refinery forming part of its plans to increase its presence in the continent’s energy and industrial sectors.