5 African Heads of State Join Dangote, Ruto to Break Ground for $16bn Refinery Project in Kenya

Five African heads of state joined their Kenyan counterpart, Dr William Ruto, and billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote at the ground-breaking ceremony for a $16-billion oil refinery project in Lamu, East Africa. The meeting occurred following calls for the continent to increase its self-sufficiency in processing raw materials into finished products.

Ruto welcomed his counterparts from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who symbolically began construction by shoveling soil at the site. Upon completion, the refinery will process 700,000 barrels of oil daily over a period of 40 months. The project, undertaken by Dangote, emphasizes the need for African industrialization and argues that the continent should stop exporting resources while importing essential goods.

The refinery will utilize oil from neighboring nations such as Uganda and South Sudan. Initially intended for Tanzania, the site in Lamu was chosen due to its deeper waters, solid ground, and deep-sea access. Heads of delegation from Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Tanzania attended the ceremony to represent their respective leaders.