Aliko Dangote says the planned refinery in Lamu, Kenya, will be larger in some respects than his existing refinery in Nigeria, with the Kenyan project expected to have a 1,000-megawatt power plant and a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Dangote made this known on Friday during a visit by Kenyan President William Ruto to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, ahead of the planned groundbreaking ceremony for the Lamu project on September 30, 2026.
According to Dangote, the power-generation capacity of the Kenyan refinery will be about twice that of the Nigerian facility, with 500MW potentially supplied to the Kenyan government.
He also said some of the processing equipment planned for Lamu would be heavier than those installed at the Lagos refinery, while the Kenyan facility would include a coker, which is not currently present at the Nigerian plant.
The proposed Lamu refinery is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is estimated to cost between $15 billion and $17 billion. Construction is expected to take about three years.
Ruto, during his visit, confirmed that the Kenyan government had secured land for the project and was working to fast-track other administrative requirements to prevent delays in its construction and eventual operation.
The Kenyan project is part of Dangote Group’s wider expansion of its refining business across Africa. The company has previously announced plans to increase the capacity of its Nigerian refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day, while the proposed Lamu refinery would add another 700,000 barrels per day to the group’s refining capacity.
Dangote said the Lamu refinery would also serve as a catalyst for additional industrial investment in Kenya, with the power and energy infrastructure expected to support other businesses around the project.
