Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has dismissed concerns over a Kenyan court order affecting his planned $16 billion refinery in Lamu, saying the Dangote Kenyan refinery project will proceed despite the legal challenge surrounding the site.

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, during a high-level investor engagement organised for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s initial public offering, Dangote said legal disputes were not unusual for large infrastructure projects on the continent and expressed confidence that the latest challenge would be resolved.

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The comments came days before the planned September 30 groundbreaking for the 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which is intended to serve the East African market.

A Kenyan court recently ordered parties involved in the dispute to maintain the status quo at the proposed refinery site following a petition by residents of Chandavai in Lamu County.

The petitioners have raised concerns over alleged forced eviction and destruction of property, as well as questions about environmental compliance and public participation in the project.

The court is expected to give further directions on October 14.

Dangote said he only became aware of the court development after arriving in Kenya on Monday night.

“Yesterday, as I was landing here at night… immediately when I opened my phone, they said report by Bloomberg. ‘One court has given an order that we shouldn’t do any construction,’” he said.

He compared the situation with a previous dispute involving one of his projects in Senegal, where he said construction was halted for about a year before the matter eventually reached the Supreme Court.

“We’re not bothered. Don’t worry. We know who are the people doing all these things, so we’ll face them,” Dangote said.

Despite the legal challenge, Dangote Group said the court order does not prevent the planned groundbreaking ceremony from going ahead, although activities at the site could be affected while the case is being considered.

Reuters also reported that the company intends to proceed with the official launch despite the court ruling.

The proposed refinery is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and represents a major expansion of Dangote Group’s refining interests beyond Nigeria.

The project is designed to support fuel supply across East Africa, while the wider development is expected to attract related industrial activity around the refinery.

Dangote has previously said the Kenyan facility would be only an initial step in a broader industrial expansion.

The proposed complex is expected to include infrastructure and supporting into physical mobilisation, with reports that 2,930 tonnes of machinery and construction materials arrived at the Port of Lamu ahead of the scheduled groundbreaking. industries that could develop around the refinery.

The project has already moved into physical mobilisation, with reports that 2,930 tonnes of machinery and construction materials arrived at the Port of Lamu ahead of the scheduled groundbreaking.

The Kenyan government has also been actively supporting the project. President William Ruto recently visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos and said his administration was accelerating administrative processes connected with the Lamu development.

The proposed investment comes as Dangote seeks to build a wider refining and industrial network across Africa.

The group’s existing refinery in Lagos has a current crude distillation capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, according to the company, with a planned expansion path towards 1.4 million barrels per day.

Dangote has also argued that greater refining capacity within Africa would help the continent retain more value from its natural resources instead of exporting crude and importing finished petroleum products.

For Kenya, the Lamu project carries both economic and social considerations. Supporters see the investment as a potential catalyst for industrial development, energy security are now part of the court proceedings, leaving the project’s next phase dependent not only on Dangote Group’s investment plans but also on the outcome and employment, while the legal challenge highlights concerns raised by communities over land rights and environmental processes.

Those competing interests are now part of the court proceedings, leaving the project’s next phase dependent not only on Dangote Group’s investment plans but also on the outcome of the legal process.

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For now, Dangote maintains that the obstacles can be overcome and that the planned groundbreaking will proceed. The October 14 court proceedings are expected to provide greater clarity on the status of activities at the disputed Lamu site.