President William Ruto is today hosting several African leaders in Lamu for the groundbreaking of the proposed Dangote East Africa Refinery, a project valued at about Sh2 trillion.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Togo President Jean-Luc Savi de Tové and Benin President Romuald Wadagni are among those attending the ceremony.
The refinery is being planned as a regional facility serving petroleum markets across East and Central Africa, including Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu is, however, not among the leaders attending, despite earlier discussions linking Tanzania’s Tanga to the proposed refinery.
President Ruto had previously said Tanga was considered because of its proximity to Mombasa and planned regional crude oil infrastructure.
Dangote later settled on Lamu after a feasibility study identified it as the most suitable location, ruling out both Mombasa and Tanga.
