President William Ruto and Dangote Group president Aliko Dangote on Wednesday, September 30, led a high-profile gathering of African leaders and senior government officials during the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu.
The event attracted several sitting and former leaders from across Africa, underlining the regional attention surrounding the multi-trillion-shilling project.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was among the heads of state who attended the ceremony, joining Ruto at the event in Lamu. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also attended, alongside Benin’s Romuald Wadagni and Togo’s Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové.
Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo was also present at the ceremony as a special guest.
The gathering also brought together senior Kenyan government officials, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano were also among the Kenyan officials attending the groundbreaking.
Other African countries were represented by high-level delegations, with officials from Burundi, South Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania attending the event.
Dangote, whose business group is behind the proposed refinery, joined the African leaders and government officials for the ceremony as Kenya marked the beginning of the project.
The high-profile attendance placed the Lamu groundbreaking at the centre of regional political and business attention, with leaders from different parts of Africa gathering for the launch of the major petroleum investment.
