The Lamu groundbreaking went ahead exactly as planned on October 1. Aliko Dangote and African leaders formally launched the $16 billion Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals complex on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, with Dangote putting a firm number on the timeline: commissioning in 40 months from the ceremony date.
The planned facility will process 700,000 barrels of crude a day, supplying petrol, diesel and jet fuel to Kenya and neighbouring East African markets. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, attending the ceremony, framed it as a step toward strengthening Africa’s industrial capacity and creating opportunities across the wider region.
Dangote tied the project to a bigger philosophy, arguing Africa needs to process its own resources rather than “exporting what it has and importing what it needs” if the continent wants lasting prosperity rather than dependency.
On the engineering side, U.S.-based Honeywell has been brought on to provide engineering services, technology licensing, and equipment — extending a relationship the company already has with Dangote’s Nigerian refining operations. That continuity suggests lessons from building the Lagos mega-refinery are being carried directly into the Lamu project.