Kenyan President William Ruto has visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos as part of preparations for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu, which is expected to break ground on September 30.
Ruto arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Friday, where he was received by Aliko Dangote and other senior Nigerian officials. He was accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto and senior members of his government.
The President’s visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki comes five days before he is expected to lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
The planned Lamu facility is projected to have a refining capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is expected to form a major part of Kenya’s efforts to expand refining capacity and strengthen petroleum supply in the region.
The Lagos visit follows a meeting between Ruto, Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week.
The discussions focused on financing and final preparations for the Lamu project.
“We are ready to break ground on the East Africa refinery in Lamu, a transformative project that will enhance the region’s energy security, deepen local value addition, create jobs and advance our industrialisation agenda,” Ruto said after the meeting in New York.
The proposed refinery is expected to process crude oil from Kenya’s oilfields in Lokichar, Turkana County, and supply refined petroleum products to markets across East and Central Africa.
The project is being developed with Dangote’s involvement and support from the Africa Finance Corporation. Current reports have placed the investment value of the project between $15 billion and $17 billion, equivalent to roughly Sh2 trillion.
During his visit to the Dangote refinery, Ruto was taken on a guided tour of the facility by Dangote and other senior company officials.
The tour covered key sections of the refinery and the adjoining petrochemicals complex, giving the President an overview of the plant’s operations, processing capacity and infrastructure.
Company officials also briefed him on the various stages of the refining process and the facility’s wider role in meeting the region’s energy and petrochemical needs.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, located in Lagos, has a capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day and is among Africa’s largest refining facilities.
The proposed East Africa refinery project was initially earmarked for Tanzania before Dangote Group shifted its focus to Kenya, citing infrastructure, logistics and market considerations.
Following his Lagos visit, Ruto is expected to return to Kenya and begin a weeklong working tour of the Coast region on Saturday.
The tour will cover Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Lamu counties and will focus on development projects, land reforms and new investments.
A major feature of the tour will be the issuance of nearly 200,000 title deeds to residents across the six counties as the government seeks to address longstanding land ownership challenges in the region.
Ruto will begin the Coast tour in Taita-Taveta, where 31,318 title deeds are scheduled to be issued to residents of Mwatate and Voi constituencies.
He will proceed to Kwale on Monday, where 94,175 title deeds are expected to be issued in Lunga Lunga, Msambweni and Kinango constituencies.
In Kilifi, 36,826 title deeds are lined up for beneficiaries in Kaloleni, Rabai, Ganze, Kilifi South and Malindi constituencies.
Mombasa is set to receive 4,360 title deeds, while a further 22,770 documents will be distributed in Lamu and Tana River.
The government says the documents will provide beneficiaries with formal ownership of their land and enable them to use the property for economic activities.
Ruto is also expected to commission completed projects, inspect ongoing works and launch new developments during the tour.
The Lamu refinery groundbreaking is expected to be a major feature of the visit, placing the Coast region at the centre of the government’s energy and industrialisation agenda.
The project is also being presented as a potential driver of employment and regional trade, with the refinery expected to support petroleum supply chains serving markets beyond Kenya.
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