Ruto tours Dangote Refinery in Nigeria ahead of Lamu project groundbreaking

President William Ruto on Friday toured the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria, ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Dangote East African Refinery in Lamu, Kenya, next week.

Ruto said the visit followed an invitation by Dangote Group President and CEO Aliko Dangote, as Kenya prepares to launch construction of the refinery.

The President described the Nigerian facility as a major investment, noting that it has a crude oil refining capacity of 700,000 barrels per day and produces more than 100 million litres of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel daily.

He said the refinery has also been connected to crude oil supplies through 120 kilometres of sea cables used to transport crude from ships to the facility.

“This huge achievement is a testament of what African governments, investors and financial institutions can do together,” Ruto said.

The President said the refinery planned for Lamu would be larger than the Nigerian facility and would play a significant role in transforming Kenya's petroleum sector and the wider East African region.

According to Ruto, the project is expected to improve fuel reliability and security while supporting industrialisation and creating about 60,000 jobs.

He said the refinery would also catalyse the development of industries linked to petroleum processing, including fertiliser, chemical and packaging manufacturing.

Ruto's visit comes ahead of the planned groundbreaking ceremony in Lamu, which is expected to mark the start of construction of the refinery.

The President said the project would strengthen Kenya's energy security while positioning the country as a regional hub for petroleum and related industrial activities.