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Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s planned $16 billion oil refinery in Kenya has received a second shipment of construction equipment, advancing preparations for the project less than three weeks after its groundbreaking.
The consignment, comprising 154 pieces of assorted construction equipment, arrived at the Port of Lamu on October 19, according to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor Development Authority (LAPSSET). The delivery follows an earlier shipment of approximately 2,930 metric tonnes of machinery and construction materials that reached the port in late September.
The latest delivery adds to the equipment being mobilised for the Dangote East Africa Refinery, a proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day facility in Lamu County. The project is intended to supply petroleum products to Kenya and other East African markets.
Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto officially launched the project on September 30, marking the start of a construction phase for what is expected to become one of Africa’s largest refining complexes.
The refinery is designed to process crude oil into products including petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. Its wider industrial complex is also expected to include petrochemical and fertiliser facilities, alongside a power plant with a proposed capacity of 1,000 megawatts.
The project is targeted for completion in 2030. If delivered as planned, it could expand East Africa’s domestic refining capacity and reduce the region’s reliance on imported petroleum
The two shipments mark successive deliveries of construction machinery to the Lamu site as the project moves into its early development phase.
The first consignment arrived aboard the vessel MV Da Yang on September 26, carrying about 2,930 metric tonnes of equipment and materials. The second delivery, announced by LAPSSET on October 19, consisted of more than 150 assorted pieces of construction equipment.
The Port of Lamu is expected to serve as a key entry point for machinery and other materials needed during construction, with the wider LAPSSET corridor intended to improve transport and trade links between Kenya and neighbouring countries.
The project still faces challenges, including a land dispute brought by residents contesting the use of property linked to the development. Although a court order that had threatened to halt the project was lifted in October, the underlying dispute remains a consideration as construction progresses.
For Dangote, the Kenyan refinery represents an expansion of his energy business beyond Nigeria, where his existing refinery has a design capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The Lamu project is intended to serve a broader East African market once completed.
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