Dangote Group CEO Aliko Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto have broken ground on a planned $16bn oil refinery in Kenya which could transform East Africa's energy sector.
The planned facility in Mokowe, Lamu County - formally known as the Dangote East Africa Petroleum and Petrochemicals Special Economic Zone - is expected to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. A wider petrochemical complex at the site is expected to drive investments in energy, manufacturing, transport, logistics and related industries.
Dangote pledged to commission the refinery within 40 months and planners say the project could create up to 60,000 direct and indirect jobs in Lamu and neighbouring counties.
Ahead of the launch, some local residents took to the streets to demand more compensation for land used for the refinery, according to the BBC. A local court decision has blocked some development activities at the site until a case against the refinery is heard on 14th October. The legal complaint on behalf of 133 residents alleged that the project would involve "forceful eviction of the plaintiffs from their lands, damage and destruction of their properties", according to their petition."
Originally published by African Business.