Aliko Dangote proposes $17 B, 700,000 bpd oil refinery on Kenya’s Lamu Island

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has announced plans to build a $17 billion oil refinery on Kenya’s Lamu Island. The 700,000‑barrel‑per‑day facility would be the region’s largest, aiming to replace Kenya’s reliance on imported refined fuels and to serve neighbouring markets including Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lamu’s deep‑water harbor can accommodate fully‑laden Post‑Panamax tankers, giving the project direct access to crude imports and an export outlet for surplus gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The development is positioned along the LAPSST corridor and is projected to create more than 60,000 jobs during construction and operation.

The proposal faces environmental objections over potential impacts on Lamu’s UNESCO‑listed ecosystem and concerns about carbon emissions, but supporters view it as a catalyst for intra‑African industrial integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area.