Dangote Awards $450m Contract for $16bn Kenya Refinery
Engineers India disclosed the agreement in a filing with the Mumbai Stock Exchange, stating that it would serve as Project Management Consultant and Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management consultant for the greenfield project.
The Kenyan facility is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with construction expected to commence before the end of September.
According to The East African, the complete development, comprising the refinery and petrochemical plant, is expected to cost about $16bn when completed.
Engineers India said the project would strengthen fuel production in East Africa, reduce the region’s dependence on imported petroleum products and support regional energy security.
The Indian firm previously worked on the construction of the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, which has a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.
The Lagos refinery, which has been commissioned, is currently being expanded to 1.4 million barrels per day, with the expansion targeted for completion by 2029.
Speaking on the Kenya project, Aliko Dangote said the development formed part of the Group’s Vision 2030 strategy to expand its industrialisation drive across Africa.
Dangote said the project would be launched on September 30 and was expected to be completed within three years.
The proposed Lamu refinery will extend Dangote Group’s refining footprint from Nigeria’s Atlantic coast to Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline, giving the conglomerate a major refining presence in West and East Africa.
Dangote said Africa had significant investment opportunities but noted that investors were seeking large-scale and credible projects capable of delivering substantial economic impact.
The Kenya refinery project comes as Dangote Group seeks to attract more Nigerian and African investors into the ownership of its Lagos refinery.
The company launched an Initial Public Offering on September 14 to raise $1.6bn through the sale of 4.1 billion ordinary shares. The offer is scheduled to close on October 13, with the shares expected to begin trading on the Nigerian Exchange in November.
Before the IPO, the refinery’s private placement attracted $3.7bn in investor demand. However, Dangote said it accepted only $2.5bn, explaining that the decision was intended to create room for additional African investors to participate in the ownership of the refinery.
Dangote has also disclosed plans to list its fertiliser business through an IPO by 2028, saying the company would become the world’s largest fertiliser company once listed.
For Engineers India, the Dangote contract adds to an order book valued at about $1.6bn as of June 30, 2026. About $1.2bn of the order book came from its consultancy division.
The company said the Kenya project would support the expansion of its business beyond the Middle East, where activity has slowed in recent times.
