NAIROBI, Kenya, August 10 – Construction of the proposed Dangote oil refinery in Lamu is set to begin in October, Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has said.
Dangote told the BBC that the project is expected to cost about Sh2 trillion, down from the Sh2.2 trillion initially estimated.
“By October this year, we will be groundbreaking. Once we break the ground, we will begin the construction,” Dangote said.
The refinery is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest refinery in East Africa and the second-largest on the continent after Dangote’s refinery in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dangote announced plans in April to expand his refining business into East Africa, with the Lamu facility expected to be modelled on his refinery in Nigeria.
The proposed refinery is expected to supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring markets, including Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cutting reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
