India’s state-run engineering consultancy Engineers India Limited (EIL) has won an EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) contract worth over $450 million for a greenfield refining and petrochemical complex that Nigeria’s Dangote Group is pursuing in Kenya, it was reported on September 22-23, 2026.
Dangote Group is Africa’s largest private industrial conglomerate and already operates a 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) refinery in Lekki, Nigeria, which is credited with helping reduce the African continent’s reliance on imported petroleum products. This time it plans to expand into East Africa’s Kenya, building a complex that combines a 700,000 bpd greenfield refinery with an integrated petrochemical facility, according to the report. EIL previously served as an EPCM partner during the construction of Dangote’s Lekki refinery, and is known as one of India’s leading state-run engineering consultancies, having carried out numerous refining, petrochemical, and fertilizer plant EPCM projects across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. It is reported to be taking on a similar role for this Kenya project, drawing on its Lekki construction experience, with the specific site location, detailed facility configuration, and target completion date not yet disclosed.
The EPCM contract is reported to be worth more than $450 million, and the refinery’s production capacity is said to be 700,000 bpd, larger than Dangote Group’s existing Lekki refinery in Nigeria (650,000 bpd). Following the news, EIL’s share price reportedly rose on the Indian stock market.
The contract is understood as a move by Dangote Group to expand its refining and petrochemical footprint beyond Nigeria into the East African market, and is also cited as an example of Indian engineering firms expanding their participation in major African energy projects.
Analysts note that the successive pursuit of large-scale refining and petrochemical complexes across Africa reflects a common strategy among governments and companies on the continent to reduce reliance on imported refined products amid a shortage of domestic refining capacity. Dangote Group’s expansion into Kenya, building on its operating experience at the Lekki refinery in Nigeria, is seen as an example of an African company growing into a continent-scale energy infrastructure investor. The trend of Asian engineering firms such as India’s EIL winning successive EPCM contracts for major African projects also suggests a shift in a market that has traditionally been dominated by Western engineering firms. The fact that the project is designed as an integrated complex combining refining and petrochemical facilities also reflects a recent trend in emerging markets where new refineries pursue downstream petrochemical vertical integration rather than simple refining functions alone. In particular, since Africa has long relied on imports for a substantial share of its petroleum products due to a shortage of refining capacity, the addition of large-scale refining facilities within the region is seen as directly tied to individual countries’ energy security strategies. That EIL leveraged its Lekki refinery EPCM track record to help secure this contract also illustrates a typical business-expansion pattern in the engineering industry, in which prior project performance leads to follow-on awards on large-scale plant projects.
When the specific site and facility configuration for the Kenya complex will be disclosed, and when actual construction will begin, are of interest. The financing structure for the project and which financial institutions will participate are also a matter of interest. Whether Dangote Group will pursue similar refining and petrochemical complex expansions in other African countries beyond Kenya is also seen as worth watching. What permitting and incentive policies the Kenyan government will adopt toward this project is also worth following closely.