President William Ruto and Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote have officially broken ground on the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery, a mega project valued at KSh2.2 trillion ($16 billion) aimed at transforming the regional energy and industrial sector.
The high-profile ceremony was attended by four foreign heads of State and delegations from across Africa, highlighting the project’s strategic importance for the broader continent.
Designed with a capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, the facility will become the largest refinery in East and Central Africa and one of the largest globally. Beyond petroleum processing, the project is structured as an integrated industrial complex that will host a 1,000-megawatt (MW) power plant, a plastics manufacturing plant, and production facilities for fertilisers and chemicals.
According to President Ruto, the project is projected to boost Kenya’s economy by 12% and generate $4 billion annually in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) over its four-year construction period.
The development is also expected to create 60,000 direct jobs, enhance regional energy security, and significantly accelerate the growth of the Lamu Port South Sudan and Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor into a major industrial zone.
President Ruto emphasised that the venture represents a pivotal step in altering Africa’s trade dynamic of exporting raw materials while importing refined goods, signalling a shift toward localised manufacturing and resource value-addition across the continent.
