Dangote breaks ground on $16 billion Kenyan refinery

1 October 2026

Aliko Dangote and President William Ruto broke ground on 30 September on a refinery in Kenya’s Lamu county designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude a day. Cost estimates range from $16 billion to $20 billion, about 70% of it borrowed, with completion targeted for around 2030. Dangote has set aside a 30% stake for East African states, whose markets import almost all their fuel. Kenya would gain a regional energy hub, while fuel importers and Uganda’s own planned refinery face a large new competitor. Supply is the main risk, as full output needs more regional crude than is produced today; a residents’ land case returns to court on 14 October.

Energy & Industry · Tags: Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Dangote Industries

Sources

More from the Daily Brief

22 October 2026

Dangote buys quarter of Kenya Pipeline Company

Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote said on 21 October that his group had bought about a quarter of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), the listed operator of Kenya's main fuel pipelines and depots.

22 October 2026

Equatorial Guinea moves to make Gepetrol its sole fuel distributor

Equatorial Guinea's Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue on 20 October gave state oil company Gepetrol 48 hours to present a plan to become the country's sole fuel distributor.

22 October 2026

Nigeria ends 20-year dispute over Lagos airport terminal

Nigeria's government signed a settlement on 20 October with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, ending a dispute of nearly 20 years over the domestic terminal the firm runs at Lagos's Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2).

22 October 2026

Eni seeks builder for 75 MW gas power plant in Mozambique

Italian energy company Eni has opened a tender for a contractor to build a 75-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant at Temane, in Mozambique's Inhambane province, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported on 21 October.

22 October 2026

First Quantum’s Zambian copper mine runs 8% above design capacity

First Quantum Minerals said on 21 October that its expanded Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia is on track to process about 27 million tonnes of ore in 2026, 8% above the design capacity of its new plant.

21 October 2026

Zimbabwe moves to shut foreign firms in reserved sectors

Zimbabwe's cabinet decided on 20 October to suspend or revoke the operating licences of foreign-owned businesses that breach rules reserving 17 economic sectors for citizens.

All Daily Briefs