Key Takeaways:
- Kenyan President William Ruto is expected to tour the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos on Friday.
- The visit comes five days before the planned groundbreaking of a new 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu.
- The KSh2.2 trillion ($17 billion) project is expected to strengthen Kenya’s energy security and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
Kenyan President William Ruto is expected to visit the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, on Friday ahead of the September 30 groundbreaking of the Nigerian billionaire’s planned refinery in Lamu, Kenya.
The Dangote Group confirmed the visit, saying its President, Aliko Dangote, will receive Ruto at the Lagos facility on Sept. 25.
The two are expected to break ground for the proposed refinery in Lamu five days later.
The visit comes as Kenya and Dangote move into the final preparations for the KSh2.2 trillion ($17 billion) project, which is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Ruto prepares for Lamu groundbreaking
Ruto announced on Sept. 21 that Kenya was ready to begin the refinery project after meeting Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The discussions focused on financing arrangements and final preparations before construction begins, according to the Kenyan president.
“We are ready to break ground on the East Africa refinery in Lamu, a transformative project that will enhance the region’s energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs and advance our industrialisation agenda,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan government has also linked the refinery to wider economic opportunities and stronger regional supply chains. Ruto said the project is expected to create more than 500,000 jobs while increasing local value addition.
The 700,000-barrel-per-day facility is expected to increase domestic refining capacity and reduce Kenya’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
Engineering work moves ahead
Preparations for the Lamu project have accelerated with the award of a contract worth more than $448 million to Engineers India Ltd., a state-owned Indian engineering company.
The contract covers project management, engineering, procurement and construction management for the refinery and petrochemical complex. Engineers India previously worked with Dangote Group on the development of the Dangote refinery in Lagos.
The Lamu refinery is part of Dangote’s wider expansion of its energy business across Africa. The planned facility would extend the group’s refining footprint beyond Nigeria, where its 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery is already operating.
The September 30 groundbreaking will mark the formal start of construction of the Kenyan project, with the facility expected to serve Kenya and wider East and Central African petroleum markets.
