Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, has announced plans to set up a training school in Lamu, Kenya, aimed at equipping 1,000 local residents with the skills needed to take part in his $2 billion oil refinery project. The program will mainly target people holding engineering degrees, diplomas, and other relevant technical qualifications. Dangote confirmed that anyone who completes the training and holds the necessary engineering credentials will be guaranteed a job linked to the project.
The Lamu refinery project, which is expected to take up to three years to complete, will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighboring countries, helping cut East Africa's reliance on imported fuel. Once operational, the plant will refine 700,000 barrels of crude per day, with a capacity to produce more than 100 million liters of petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel daily. The facility is set to become Dangote Group's largest refining investment outside Nigeria.
The refinery is part of a broader industrial ecosystem that Dangote plans to develop in Lamu, spanning energy, petrochemicals, logistics, engineering, marine services, manufacturing, skills development, and technology. The project is expected to create thousands of opportunities across the refinery's wider value chain, not confined to the refinery alone. Beyond direct refinery employment, the broader industrial ecosystem is expected to create openings in logistics, engineering, manufacturing, marine services, technology, and small and medium-sized enterprises operating around the project.
Dangote has given a firm commitment to the Lamu County Government on local employment, assuring them that the company will train 1,000 local residents and guarantee them a job. He made the commitment during the refinery's groundbreaking ceremony on September 30. The ceremony was attended by Kenyan President William Ruto, who noted that the refinery would improve fuel reliability and security in Kenya, while supporting industrialization and creating an estimated 60,000 jobs.
The Port of Lamu has already received 2,930 metric tonnes of construction equipment, delivered aboard the vessel MV Da Yang. The Kenya Ports Authority confirmed that the ship docked at the port on September 26, just ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony. President Ruto, while touring the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, on September 25, said the Lamu project is expected to improve fuel reliability and security in Kenya.
Dangote also revealed that the Lamu plant is expected to generate significantly more power than its counterpart in Nigeria. The power plant in Lamu will produce about 1,000 megawatts, out of petcoke, and 500 megawatts will be sold to the government of Kenya. The refinery will be linked to crude oil supplies via 120 kilometers of sea cables, used to transport crude from ships directly to the facility.
Despite the scale of the project, it has faced opposition from local residents and ongoing land-rights lawsuits over alleged displacement and property destruction linked to preliminary site works. More than 130 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County have gone to court seeking to halt what they describe as the unlawful takeover and destruction of land their families have occupied and farmed for generations.
Key points
- The Lamu refinery project is expected to create thousands of jobs and training opportunities for Kenyans.
- The project will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighboring countries.
- The facility is set to become Dangote Group's largest refining investment outside Nigeria.
