Dangote Moves To Build A Refinery In Kenya

Sunday May 10, 2026
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Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is considering Kenya as the preferred location for a proposed 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in East Africa, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, said Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa currently has an advantage because of its port infrastructure.

“I’m leaning more towards Mombasa because Mombasa has a much larger, deeper port,” Dangote said in the interview.

The development follows recent remarks by Kenyan President William Ruto that East African nations were in talks over plans to establish a joint refinery at Tanzania’s Tanga port, modeled after Dangote’s refinery operation in Nigeria.

In comparing the two locations, Dangote noted that Kenya offered a stronger market potential than Tanzania.

“Kenyans consume more. It’s a bigger economy,” he said.

Dangote also indicated that the final decision would largely depend on the Kenyan government.

Dangote also indicated that the final decision would largely depend on the Kenyan government.

“The ball is in the hands of President Ruto,” ‌he ⁠said. “Whatever President Ruto says is what I’ll do,” he added.

According to the Financial Times report, the proposed refinery could cost between $15 billion and $17 billion.

East African countries currently rely heavily on imported refined petroleum products, most of which come from the Middle East. Analysts say the dependence has exposed the region to supply shortages and rising fuel prices amid ongoing tensions linked to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Speaking at an infrastructure summit in Nairobi last month, Dangote said he was prepared to replicate his Nigerian refinery project in East Africa if governments across the region backed the initiative.

*REUTERS