Addis Ababa, September 30, 2026 (FMC) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has situated Ethiopia’s energy and trade interests within the broader process of East African integration, highlighting the potential of Kenya’s Lamu Refinery to expand regional supply options and create new avenues for trade and investment.
Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery in Lamu, Prime Minister Abiy said the project could have significance well beyond Kenya by linking refining capacity more closely with regional markets through the LAPSSET development.
“For Ethiopia, an additional regional source would broaden our supply options and create new opportunities for trade and investment,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s remarks placed the refinery within a wider regional economic context in which infrastructure can serve as a platform for connecting markets, strengthening supply chains and opening opportunities for productive investment across borders.
He described East Africa as more than a consumer market, urging business leaders to view the region as a place to produce, build and create value.
Prime Minister Abiy commended Kenyan President William Ruto for advancing long-term investment and integration among African nations, describing the Lamu Refinery as a project with regional importance.
He also highlighted the potential for industries to develop around the refinery, saying its value would extend beyond fuel production.
The project’s wider significance, he added, should also be measured by the opportunities it creates for Africa’s younger generation, including engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and future leaders.
“When national leadership, private enterprise, and regional cooperation come together, they can change what our region produces,” Prime Minister Abiy said.
The Lamu Refinery is being developed by Dangote Industries and is planned to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with refined petroleum products expected to serve Kenya and wider East African markets.