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| Dangote Plans Nigeria-scale Refinery in East Africa, Seeks Partnership with Ruto, Museveni |
Dangote’s
East Africa Refinery Ambition
Aliko
Dangote, Africa’s richest man and the driving force behind Nigeria’s landmark
650,000 barrels-per-day refinery, has unveiled plans to replicate a project of
similar scale in East Africa.
Speaking
at the “Africa We Build” summit in Nairobi, alongside Kenyan President William
Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Dangote emphasized that the
refinery would be completed within four years if regional governments provide
strong policy backing and institutional support.
He framed
the initiative as a bold step to end Africa’s dependence on exporting raw
materials while importing finished products, a cycle he described as
impoverishing the continent’s 1.4 billion people.
The
proposed refinery would serve multiple countries including Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is envisioned
as a hub supported by shared pipeline infrastructure, designed to process crude
from across the region and reduce costs through economies of scale.
Dangote
stressed that consistency in government policy is critical, warning that
reversals and uncertainty have historically discouraged long-term investment in
Africa. He revealed that his group plans to invest $40 billion across refining,
petrochemicals, fertiliser, and manufacturing by 2030, positioning the refinery
as a catalyst for industrial self-sufficiency.
Kenyan
President Ruto echoed Dangote’s sentiments, insisting that Africa has the raw
materials, capital, and industrialists needed to succeed, and that regional
collaboration is the way forward.
