The Nigerian group Dangote Industries has chosen Lamu, on the Kenyan coast, to host its future mega-oil refinery in East Africa. The announcement was made on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 by Edwin Devakumar, vice president in charge of oil and gas within the group. The project plans for a refining capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, with a construction period estimated at 30 months.
This choice puts an end to speculation about the location, as Tanzania and the Kenyan city of Mombasa were also among the options considered. In Nigeria, the group has been operating a refinery with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day since 2024, touted as the largest on the continent. Dangote plans to increase its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028, with the ambition of making it the largest refinery in the world.
Before the official announcement, Aliko Dangote had visited Tanzania, where he met with President Samia Suluhu Hassan to discuss the commercial and technical considerations that led to the choice of Lamu. According to Tanzanian authorities, the president of Dangote Industries also invited Tanzania to participate in the investment project that will be developed in Kenya.
Located on the north coast of Kenya, Lamu has a deep-water port inaugurated in 2021, a major logistical advantage for this industrial project. With this new location, Dangote Industries strengthens its development strategy in the refining sector and confirms its ambition to increase its presence in the African and global energy markets.
