Dangote Says Lamu Refinery in Kenya Will Be Bigger Than Lagos Plant

Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, has said the planned Lamu Refinery in Kenya will be larger and more capable than the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos. He disclosed this while hosting Kenyan President William Ruto on a tour of the Lagos facility.

Capacity and equipment

Dangote told Ruto that the Kenyan plant would be bigger in several respects. He said: “Here I will give you a sense of an idea of what we’re going to have in Kenya just that Kenya will be a little bit bigger than what you are going to see, Your Excellency, today.” The proposed Lamu Refinery is designed to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. That is above the 650,000 barrels per day capacity of the Lagos plant. Dangote said the Kenyan facility would also include heavier processing equipment and a coker, a unit that converts heavier petroleum residues into lighter, higher value products.

Power and grid supply

On power generation, Dangote said the refinery would produce about 1,000 megawatts of electricity. Roughly 500 megawatts would be available for sale to Kenya’s national grid. He described the power component as part of the broader infrastructure that would support the refinery’s operations.

Groundbreaking and jobs

President Ruto confirmed that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lamu Refinery is scheduled for September 30, 2026. He said his government had already secured the land needed for the project and was working to meet the remaining conditions before construction begins. Ruto said the refinery would drive Kenya’s industrial growth and open opportunities in engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and business, among other fields. He also projected 60,000 jobs from the project. The Lamu project marks an expansion of Dangote Group’s footprint into East Africa, building on its refinery operations in Lagos.

IPO for the people

Earlier, Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, said on Monday that domestic workers, traders, drivers, cooks, and managers will all be eligible to buy shares in Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals when it launches its Initial Public Offering (IPO). He announced the IPO’s registration document signing ceremony in Lagos, calling the offer an “IPO for the people” designed to give ordinary Nigerians and other Africans a direct stake in Africa’s largest oil refinery. The offer price is N525 per share. An investor with N500,000 can purchase 952 shares, spending N499,800.

For Nigerian businesses, the Kenya plan points to a bigger regional footprint for Dangote Group. The Lagos refinery remains the base asset, while the Lamu project could open opportunities in engineering, construction and related services in East Africa.