Aliko Dangote credited President William Ruto with helping transform the Lamu refinery from an unlikely proposal into a fast-moving investment and pledged to commission the facility within 40 months.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony in Lamu County, Dangote said the project had initially appeared improbable before research persuaded his group to proceed.
“This project started like a joke, but after doing some research, we chose Lamu County,” he said.
Dangote described it as one of the fastest projects his group had launched since its fertiliser investment in Ethiopia. Congratulating the Kenyan leader, he added: “I don’t know what magic he used on me.”
Lamu had not initially been among the locations considered for the refinery. Dangote said he had not even heard of the county until members of his team visited the area and brought it to his attention.
Tanga in Tanzania and Mombasa in Kenya had previously been considered. Technical assessments later favoured Lamu because of its available land, access to water, firm ground and deep-sea port capable of receiving large vessels carrying crude oil.
Dangote said the experience of developing the Lekki refinery in Nigeria would guide the delivery of the Lamu facility. He argued that the Nigerian project had demonstrated Africa’s capacity to undertake major industrial investments and that the same model should be reproduced in East Africa.
“I want to promise you that we will come back and commission this refinery 40 months from today,” he said.
He told the gathering that more than 110 pieces of construction equipment were already available for the project, with another 400 expected to arrive within 60 days.
Dangote said his ambition extended beyond building an oil-processing plant. The development would support petrochemicals, logistics, engineering, marine services, manufacturing, technology and small and medium-sized businesses.
“We are not here merely to build tanks, pipelines, processing units and jetties. We are here to help build an industrial ecosystem,” he said.
The industrial complex is planned to generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity and produce petroleum products and raw materials required by other industries.
Dangote also announced that his group would establish a training school in Lamu for 1,000 local residents, including engineering graduates and diploma holders. The training would prepare them for technical positions within the refinery and businesses expected to develop around it.
He presented the investment as part of a wider effort to reduce Africa’s dependence on imported finished products and retain more value from the continent’s natural resources.
“Africa must industrialise Africa,” Dangote said.
Ruto responded by assuring Dangote that his administration would protect the investment from people seeking private benefits or attempting to interfere with its implementation.
“Nobody is going to extort anything from you or blackmail the system,” Ruto said.
The President described the refinery as a defining investment for Lamu and Kenya’s wider industrial ambitions.
“One of the largest investments in the history of Kenya has been brought to Lamu,” he said, predicting that the county would become an important centre of national development.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki praised Dangote for demonstrating that African investors could undertake major industrial projects on the continent. Lamu Governor Issa Timamy welcomed the employment and business opportunities expected from the development.
The ceremony was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Togolese President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, Benin President Romuald Wadagni and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Rwanda was represented by its trade minister, while Burundi, South Sudan and Tanzania also sent government representatives.
Dangote concluded his remarks by asking Ruto and the visiting African leaders to return to Lamu within 40 months for the refinery’s commissioning.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10