Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has vowed to build another 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Nigerian refinery in East Africa with support from governments in the region.
Dangote revealed this on Thursday at the 2026 Africa We Build Summit — an infrastructure financing conference — held in Nairobi.
He said, “I can give commitment to the two presidents that were here, if they support the refinery, we will build the identical one that we have in Nigeria.”
The billionaire emphasised that African nations must “build self-sufficiency.”
He further clarified that efforts have already started to increase the Nigerian refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day.
He added, “We are building that one (the Nigerian plant) to scale 1.4 million barrels a day and will be the largest refinery in the world,”
“… we have already started piling.”
He also said the plant will integrate petrochemical production to boost manufacturing and account for about 10% of the United States’ total refining capacity.
Kenyan President William Ruto said East African nations are discussing plans to build a joint oil refinery at Tanzania’s Tanga port to serve multiple countries in the region.
Ruto added that the proposed refinery will process crude oil from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, noting that he attended the conference where the discussions took place.
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Additionally, Dangote warned that reliance on imported finished goods risks countries to supply disruptions and price instability and stated that Africa must prioritise indigenous production and industrial capability.
The company plans to raise funds for its $40 billion expansion by launching a Pan-African initial public offering (IPO) and selling at least 10% of its refining business.
It is also expanding fertiliser production across several African countries.
