Dangote picks Lamu, Kenya for East Africa mega-refinery — Report

Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, has chosen Lamu, Kenya, as the site for a massive 700,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery, a senior company official confirmed. The project, similar in scale to Dangote's existing complex in Nigeria, is slated for completion within approximately 30 months. This decision settles speculation about the location of the significant East African energy infrastructure.

Edwin Devakumar, vice president of oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited, revealed the Lamu location to AFP. The announcement followed a meeting between Dangote and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. During their discussions, Dangote explained the commercial and technical rationale for selecting Lamu and extended an invitation for Tanzania to invest in the Kenyan project.

While Tanzania was initially considered a potential site, Dangote Industries ultimately opted for Kenya. The Nigerian industrialist had previously expressed a preference for Mombasa before finalizing the Lamu site. Dangote's existing refinery in Nigeria, which began operations in 2024 with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is currently the largest on the continent. The company plans to more than double its total refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028, which would position it as the largest refinery globally.

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the commercial and technical considerations behind the Group’s decision to locate its planned East African refinery in Lamu