Kenyan President William Ruto has arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, for a tour of billionaire Aliko Dangote's mega oil refinery. The visit comes days before Ruto is expected to lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu, Kenya. Ruto is accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto and senior government officials. The tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki aims to give Ruto insight into Dangote's existing refining operation before the Kenyan project moves into its construction phase.
The planned Lamu facility, with a projected capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is a major component of Kenya's strategy to expand refining capacity and strengthen petroleum supply in the region. The project is being developed with Dangote's involvement and support from the Africa Finance Corporation. The proposed refinery will process crude from Kenya's oilfields in Lokichar, Turkana County, and supply refined petroleum products to markets in East and Central Africa.
Ruto's visit to the Dangote refinery follows a meeting with Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation chief executive Samaila Zubairu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week. The discussions focused on financing and final preparations for the Lamu project. Ruto stated that the East Africa refinery in Lamu is a transformative project that will enhance the region's energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs, and advance Kenya's industrialisation agenda.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, located in Lagos, has a capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day and has become one of the continent's largest refining facilities. Upon arrival at the refinery, Ruto was taken on a guided tour of the facility by Dangote and other senior company officials. The tour covered key sections of the refinery and the adjoining petrochemicals complex, giving Ruto an overview of the plant's operations, processing capacity, and infrastructure.
The officials also briefed Ruto on the various stages of the refining process and the facility's wider role in meeting the region's energy and petrochemical needs. The Lagos refinery tour gives Ruto an opportunity to inspect Dangote's existing refining operation before the Kenyan project moves into its construction phase. The Lamu refinery groundbreaking is expected to take place on September 30 and will bring together regional leaders and other key stakeholders.
The project is being presented as a potential driver of employment and regional trade, with the refinery expected to support petroleum supply chains serving markets beyond Kenya. The investment value of the Lamu refinery is estimated to be between $15 billion and $17 billion, equivalent to roughly Sh2 trillion at prevailing exchange rates. Preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony are already underway in Lamu.
After the Lagos visit, Ruto is expected to return to Kenya and begin a weeklong working tour of the Coast region, focusing on development projects, land reforms, and new investments. A major feature of the tour will be the issuance of nearly 200,000 title deeds to residents across six counties, addressing longstanding land ownership challenges in the region. The tour will cover Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River, and Lamu counties.
Key points
- The proposed Lamu refinery will have a capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
- The project is expected to enhance the region's energy security and create jobs.
- Ruto's visit to the Dangote refinery aims to give him insight into Dangote's existing refining operation before the Kenyan project moves into its construction phase.
