Dangote lists Lamu and Mombasa as potential sites for East Africa oil refinery
Dangote lists Lamu and Mombasa as potential sites for East Africa oil refinery
The list of potential sites for billionaire Aliko Dangote’s planned East African refinery has expanded to include Lamu, which holds a notable designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The town joins Mombasa as another location in Kenya under consideration for the refinery, narrowing the options to a 370-kilometre stretch along the Indian Ocean coastline.
The addition comes amid growing competition in the region to host what could become East Africa’s largest oil refinery, a planned replication of Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-a-day facility in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dangote has been meeting with East African leaders to discuss the refinery as regional governments pledge support for the proposed project.
When the project was announced in April, Tanga in Tanzania was the initially proposed site, but in a May 10 interview, Dangote said he is leaning towards Mombasa because of its larger port and deeper shipping access.
He also noted that Kenya consumes more refined products than Tanzania, giving the country a commercial advantage.
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Following reports of his preference for Mombasa, Dangote met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu on May 16 in Dar es Salaam, reaffirming his role as a key investor in the country regardless of the refinery’s location.
Meanwhile, Uganda continues with plans for its own refinery in Hoima, a 60,000-barrel-per-day plant that has been under development for over a decade.
Despite his preference, Dangote said the final decision on where the refinery would be established in Kenya rests with President William Ruto.
The billionaire is expected to fund the majority of the project, which is estimated to cost between Ksh1.95 trillion and Ksh2.21 trillion.
The project will serve regional markets including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dangote’s plans to expand his refining operations into East Africa aim to boost fuel security on the continent amid rising concerns over reliance on imported petroleum products.
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