… ing the summit. “From the moment the doors opened, the place got crowded, busy, and loud,” she said. “People were excited to see each other, galvanized by the presence of multiple heads of state in such close proximity, and fan-girling over top business figures like Aliko Dangote …
… More than 30 African leaders are attending the summit, along with Africa’s richest man, the Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, other top African industrial leaders and representatives from major French firms. …
… irst thing to do is to unlock our own resources to finance our development,” he said. “We must take the lead as Africa, as policymakers and private sector leaders in taking charge of our own development.”The President echoed sentiments by Paul Kagame and businessman Aliko Dangote …
Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote is considering using Kenya as a base to raise fresh capital from African investors for his sprawling industrial empire, including his giant new refinery, he said in a conversation with the head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). …
… Samia said she had not been consulted before Ruto floated the project at the Africa Infrastructure Summit in Nairobi on April 23, alongside Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote. …
… enya, Uganda and Tanzania, jobs will remain here, we should produce fertilizer here, plastic here, instead of going to the Straight of Hormuz and bringing it here." He said, referring to the Africa We Build Summit 2026 held in April, 2026, where Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote …
… The mega oil project is expected to involve Uganda and business interests linked to Nigerian billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, who promised to build an oil refinery in the region. …
… The dispute arose after Ruto, alongside Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, backed plans for a 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Tanga during the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi on April 23. …
… Samia pressed Ruto to explain himself after he had, alongside Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, publicly backed a plan to build a 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Tanga, a port city in northeastern Tanzania, during the Africa We Build …
Aliko Dangote announced that construction of the proposed Lamu oil refinery will begin by October 2026, with the project's estimated cost revised downward by Ksh2 billion. The refinery is expected to serve Kenya and other East African countries, with a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and a completion timeline of less than four years once construction begins.
Aliko Dangote announced that construction of the proposed Lamu oil refinery will begin by October 2026, with the project's estimated cost revised downward by Ksh2 billion. The refinery is expected to serve Kenya and other East African countries, with a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and a completion timeline of less than four years once construction begins.
Nigeria's Dangote mega-refinery, Africa's largest at 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity, has secured $2.5 billion in private equity investment to fund expansion into east Africa. The investment, believed to be the largest publicly disclosed private investment in Africa, precedes a planned initial public offering later in the year.
Leaders and residents from Lamu have called for transparency in a proposed Sh2.2 trillion oil refinery project linked to Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, saying the deal has been shrouded in secrecy and causing anxiety about environmental effects and local benefits. Community spokesman Omar Sharif said residents are not opposed to the investment but want full participation in decision-making, a fair share of economic opportunities, and that 70 per cent of the expected 6,000 jobs be reserved for indigenous people.
Aliko Dangote's proposed USD15 to 17 billion East African mega-refinery in Lamu has prompted discussion about why Kenya was selected over Tanzania, which hosts the newly completed East African Crude Oil Pipeline from Uganda.
Environmental lobby group Greenpeace Africa has opposed plans for a 700,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Lamu County by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, warning it could damage East Africa's coastal ecosystems and lock Kenya into fossil fuel dependence. The project, which President William Ruto says would create about 60,000 jobs, has already begun site identification and engineering works in Lamu.
African billionaire Aliko Dangote will construct a 700,000-bpd East African oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, taking around 30 months to build, according to a senior Dangote Industries official. Tanzania was also considered for the project before Dangote selected Kenya's island location.
Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery has reduced its gasoline-making unit (RFCCU) by 34% since May 21 due to insufficient crude feed and a flue gas slide gate valve issue, with repairs nearly complete and full-rate operations expected by mid-June, according to industry monitor IIR Energy.
Nigeria's 650,000 barrel per day Dangote refinery has a large surplus of jet fuel and can supply the product globally, according to Chief Executive David Bird. The refinery is running at nameplate capacity, with African demand lower than other regions, creating an export opportunity especially as geopolitical disruptions have affected Gulf-based refiners.
This opinion piece argues that successful local investments are essential to attracting foreign investment, citing Aliko Dangote's message that domestic investors actually attract foreign investors and that failure to make conditions attractive for local investors will deter foreign capital.
French President Emmanuel Macron interrupted a youth forum at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi to call for silence from noisy attendees, calling side conversations a "total lack of respect." Moderator Marie Lora-Mungai later said the incident had been misunderstood online and that the venue atmosphere was far louder than viewers realised.
At the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, French President Emmanuel Macron announced $27bn in investments in energy transition, digital, AI, maritime economy and agriculture, saying France aims to broaden partnerships and move beyond traditional colonial-era ties. Macron stated the investments would create some 250,000 jobs in Africa and France, and called for African business leaders to invest in France as well.
President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for a new global partnership framework placing Africa at the center of decisions on development financing, trade, energy transition, and global governance. Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit 2026 in Nairobi, Ruto said African leaders were determined to end decades of dependency and externally driven development models by mobilizing the continent's own resources to finance growth and industrialization, arguing that African pension funds, insurance firms, and reinsurance institutions collectively hold more than $4 trillion in savings that remain underutilized.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is considering Kenya's Mombasa port as the location for a proposed 650,000-barrel-a-day oil refinery in East Africa, according to an interview with the Financial Times.
Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote is considering using Kenya as a base to raise fresh capital from African investors for his industrial empire, including his new refinery. He outlined plans to create an investment vehicle in Kenya that would allow African savers to pool funds and invest in Dangote Group companies.
Foreign policy analyst Ahmed Hashi has accused President Ruto's administration of making unilateral foreign policy decisions that risk isolating Kenya from regional allies, citing recent diplomatic incidents with Tanzania and France. The criticism followed Ruto's announcement of a proposed regional oil refinery in Tanga without consulting Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan beforehand.
President William Ruto addressed Tanzania's National Assembly, calling on regional leaders to support a proposed oil refinery in Tanga, Tanzania, to reduce East Africa's dependence on Middle Eastern oil supplies and retain jobs through local production of refined products.
President Ruto was forced to clarify remarks on a proposed oil refinery in Tanga, Tanzania, after President Samia Suluhu publicly questioned his announcement of the project during a Kenya-Tanzania Business Forum in Dar es Salaam on May 4, 2026, saying he announced it without her government's knowledge.
President William Ruto defended his announcement of a proposed 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Tanga, made alongside Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote at the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi, after Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said she was not consulted on the plan. Ruto characterized the proposal as a product of broader regional consultations aimed at industrializing the region using its resources.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan publicly confronted Kenyan President William Ruto in Dar es Salaam over his announcement of a 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery planned for Tanga, saying she was not informed beforehand. Ruto, alongside Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, had unveiled the refinery plan at the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi on April 23, describing it as an East African regional project to process crude from multiple countries.
An opinion piece argues that while Kenyan firms are expanding into regional markets, many lose profitability due to slow, fragmented payment systems rather than inability to sell. Exporters can lose between five and 10 per cent of transaction value through foreign exchange spreads, intermediary fees, and settlement delays, with the impact particularly severe for small and medium enterprises.
An opinion piece argues that Tanzanians build successful multinational companies and invest across borders—including US$180 million and US$130 million by Amsons Group and Taifa Gas in Kenya's cement and energy sectors—and contrasts their quiet approach to wealth with Kenya's social-media-driven display culture.
The Africa Finance Corporation warned that Africa's fuel import gap will widen to 86 million tonnes by 2040, exposing the continent's vulnerability to supply shocks. At a Nairobi summit, Aliko Dangote offered to build an east African refinery if supported by Kenya and Uganda, and regional leaders called for Africa to reduce reliance on external capital and finished-goods imports.