Dangote Breaks Ground on $16B Lamu Refinery Amid Land Disputes and Honeywell Deal
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto broke ground on a $16 billion oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude daily. The project, described as East Africa’s largest industrial undertaking, aims to reduce regional dependence on imported fuel. Dangote has selected US firm Honeywell for a $300 million engineering contract, leveraging designs from his Nigerian refinery to potentially cut the timeline by two years. While Ruto hailed the venture as a 'reckless' but necessary risk for African industrialization, the launch faced protests from local residents over land compensation and environmental concerns, with legal challenges pending in Kenyan courts.