$16bn Dangote refinery launched in Kenya — Deutsche Welle

In the coastal Kenyan city of Lamu, African leaders symbolically launched the construction of a $16 billion oil refinery. The facility is planned to be completed within 40 months; its projected capacity will be 700,000 barrels of oil per day. As Deutsche Welle reports, the project will be led by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, whom the outlet calls Africa’s richest person.

Ceremony participants

Kenyan President William Ruto, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took part in the event. The plant in Lamu has been described as the largest project of its kind in East and Central Africa.

Ruto said the facility is intended to strengthen regional energy security, reduce dependence on imports and support the country’s currency position. According to him, the project includes not only an oil refinery but also an integrated industrial complex with a 1,000 MW power plant, as well as plastics, fertilizer and chemical production.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Plans and court proceedings

Dangote said the new plant should help East Africa reduce imports of refined fuel and increase self-sufficiency. He noted that countries on the continent exported crude oil but imported refined products.

At the same time, the project has drawn objections from environmentalists, who fear its impact on Lamu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the region’s vulnerable marine ecosystem. Lamu residents have also filed a lawsuit over land rights, saying the site for the plant is their ancestral land. Kenya’s High Court ruled on Monday to continue hearing the case but allowed the groundbreaking ceremony to take place.