France, Oct. 1 -- Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote joined Kenyan President William Ruto and several African leaders on Wednesday to break ground on the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery at the Indian Ocean port of Lamu.

Once completed, the refinery is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day, producing petrol, diesel and jet fuel for Kenya and markets across East Africa.

"This is Africa coming together to build Africa," Dangote said. "Today we are not simply breaking ground for a refinery, we're breaking ground for a new chapter in Africa's industrial journey."

Dangote, who launched Africa's largest oil refiniery in Nigeria in 2023, presented the project as part of the solution to a long-standing paradox - an oil-p...