Dangote: I don’t know what ‘magic’ Ruto used to win me over on Lamu refinery
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote joked about how Kenyan President William Ruto persuaded him to invest in a new oil refinery project in Lamu. The project, which began as a casual conversation about fertilizer, has moved rapidly toward development.
Why it matters
The project highlights growing cross-continental investment between Nigeria and East Africa, specifically in the energy infrastructure sector.
President William Ruto alongside Nigerian tycoon Aliko Dangote during Lamu refinery groundbreaking ceremony/PCS Billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has quipped that he is still trying to figure out what “magic” President William Ruto worked on him to get him on board with the Lamu oil refinery project.
Dangote made the light-hearted remarks on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery, as he recounted how the project emerged from an initial conversation over the supply of fertiliser.
“This project started like, actually like a joke,” Dangote said, explaining that the discussions that eventually led to the refinery began after Ruto sent a representative to meet him in April.
He said the initial interest was for Dangote’s company to supply fertiliser, but the discussions later opened the door to a broader investment conversation.
Dangote said he was subsequently persuaded to attend a conference, where he met Ruto and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni.
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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