Dangote Taps US Investors for $16B Lamu Refinery, Kenya Groundbreaking Set

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote said American investors will back a planned $16 billion oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, ahead of a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for September 30, 2026. The facility is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude per day. Dangote told journalists U.S. investors "will definitely come," citing U.S. support for a proposed Brownsville, Texas, refinery tied to a $300 billion energy arrangement that covers long-term supply and product distribution, not construction costs alone. Kenya and two unidentified East African nations will acquire a combined 30% stake in the project, expected to create 60,000 jobs and process crude from Uganda and other African producers. Dangote Group plans nearly $50 billion in Africa-wide investment by 2030. A Kenyan court this week ordered the site's "status quo" maintained pending a lawsuit by residents claiming land ownership. Dangote said the ceremony will proceed.