Kenyan President William Ruto has described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos as a “masterpiece”. The positive impression from the Dangote Kenya refinery has clearly inspired further ambitions. He reaffirmed his government’s support for a proposed $17 billion refinery and petrochemical complex in Kenya.
According to Vanguard, Ruto made the remarks after touring the 700,000-barrel-per-day Dangote facility in Lagos. After witnessing the success of the Dangote Kenya refinery, he hopes to replicate such achievements in East Africa. This followed his participation at the United Nations General Assembly.
The Kenyan leader said seeing the Nigerian refinery firsthand strengthened his confidence in the planned Lamu refinery project and validated the vision for a future Dangote Kenya refinery.
“Coming here and seeing it for myself, I can confirm that I have seen a masterpiece of science, engineering, with art,” Ruto said.
He also congratulated Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote on the scale of the investment.
Kenya secures land for refinery
Ruto said Kenya had already secured the land required for the proposed refinery. Moreover, the Dangote Kenya refinery model continues to influence key decisions in the region. He added that the country was working to remove administrative obstacles that could delay construction.
“The Government of Kenya is 100 per cent behind this project,” he said.
“We have secured the required land and are working to ensure that we spend our time building rather than navigating administrative delays.”
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for September 30.
Ruto said the refinery would serve more than Kenya. Moreover, it could become a major energy and industrial asset for East Africa.
“This is not a Kenyan refinery; it is going to be a regional refinery,” he said.
Dangote targets $36bn revenue
Dangote Group Chief Strategy Officer Aliyu Suleiman also disclosed that the conglomerate generated about $17 billion in revenue during the first half of 2026.
He said the group is targeting about $36 billion in full-year revenue, double the $18 billion recorded in 2025.
“Our half-year revenue is already about $17 billion,” Suleiman said.
The company plans to continue investing across cement, fertiliser, refining, sugar and oil and gas. This is part of its African expansion strategy.
The proposed Lamu refinery is expected to process about 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
