Up to 30% equity in the upcoming Dangote Refinery in Kenya, has been placed on the table for East African countries, which makes about $1.5 billion worth of the planned project available to regional investors.

David Ndii, Kenyan President William Ruto’s economic adviser, disclosed this on Thursday at a capital markets forum in Nairobi, where he said Kenya would take a 10% stake while Ethiopia and Rwanda had also expressed interest.

Dangote’s planned refinery is expected to be developed in Lamu, a coastal town in southeastern Kenya, though the project was initially proposed for Tanga in Tanzania.

According to the billionaire industrialist, the decision to move the proposed location to Kenya was informed by commercial and technical considerations.

Ndii disclosed that Kenya’s proposed 10% participation would be worth approximately $500 million.

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He said the combined regional participation could amount to about $1.5 billion, with Dangote prepared to support the project if some participating countries are unable to commit as crude off-takers.

“The total for the region is about $1.5 billion,” he said. “I don’t actually see a challenge in doing that, and if some of them are not off-taking we will backstop.”

The proposed regional participation would give East African countries a direct equity interest in a major energy infrastructure project while potentially securing access to refined petroleum products for participating markets.

The United Nations Geoscheme (UNG) for Africa defines Eastern Africa as comprising 18 sovereign countries, alongside two French overseas territories, meaning the proposed 30% allocation could potentially involve a broader regional investor base beyond Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

The Nigerian authorities have been called upon to focus on strengthening domestic refining capacity.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of the three-day PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS 2026).

It stressed the need for adequate protection for refineries operating in the country.

The PENGASSAN said Nigeria must reduce the economic inefficiency of exporting crude oil while importing significant volumes of refined petroleum products by creating an environment that supports domestic refining and other value‑adding activities.

The communiqué, signed by the union President, Festus Osifo, and General Secretary, Jerry Amah, stressed the need to protect refineries, including Dangote Refinery and Waltersmith Refinery.

The association said the expansion would enable Nigeria to retain a greater share of the value generated from its petroleum resources while creating jobs, conserving foreign exchange and stimulating industrial development. PENGASSAN linked the growth to wider opportunities in petrochemicals, gas processing and other downstream activities.

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The communiqué reads in part: “The summit called for sustained policies and investments to expand Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity and reduce the economic inefficiency of exporting crude oil while importing significant volumes of refined petroleum products. The need to protect refineries (such as Dangote Refinery, Waltersmith Refinery, etc.) within Nigeria’s jurisdiction was emphasised.

“Nigeria must progressively retain more value from its petroleum resources through domestic refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and other value‑adding activities capable of generating employment, conserving foreign exchange and stimulating industrial growth.

“Ultimately, the strength of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry will not be measured merely by the resources beneath the ground, but by the projects delivered, the value created, the Nigerian capabilities developed, the decent jobs sustained and the prosperity generated for the Nigerian people.”

The association also warned that abrupt policy changes, overlapping mandates, repetitive approvals and conflicting directives increase the cost of doing business and weaken Nigeria’s competitiveness for global energy capital.

The PENGASSAN called for faster regulatory approvals, digitalised processes and clearer timelines, arguing that the effectiveness of regulation should be measured by its impact on investment, production, government revenue, job creation and national value rather than simply by the number of licences or approvals issued.

On gas, the PENGASSAN advocated an integrated approach to developing Nigeria’s more than 215 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves, including investments in processing facilities, pipelines, storage, LNG, LPG and CNG infrastructure. It said gas should be deployed more aggressively for power generation, manufacturing, transportation, fertiliser and petrochemical production.

The association also urged stronger protection of workers’ rights, occupational safety and employment during mergers, acquisitions, divestments and asset transfers, saying sustainable investment requires skilled and fairly treated workers and that increased production must not come at the expense of workers’ lives and wellbeing.

In addition, the PENGASSAN said the next phase of Nigeria’s petroleum industry must focus on execution with measurable targets and clearly assigned responsibilities to ensure policies translate into projects, production, investment and sustainable employment.

Two key stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have resolved to work closed to unlock three million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil by 2030.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), according to the new President of former, Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro, would be working closely with each other to attain the objective.

He made the disclosure on Wednesday while on a visit to the NUPRC corporate headquarters.

The Head, Media and Corporate Communications, NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, who made the disclosure in a statement, also credited the PENGASSAN President with declaring that inasmuch as the union is open to negotiations, issues bordering on the rights of workers to freely associate and join the union are non-negotiable.

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He made it public that issues surrounding contract staffing will be one of the key issues his administration will address.

“The President of Nigeria has an ambition which he runs through the CCE which is to make sure that by 2030 we are able to produce three million barrels per day. All of us have to work to make that happen. It will be our happiness to make sure that that target is actually attained. We can assure you that we are here to collaborate. We will be very reasonable,” Olabiyi-Agoro assured.

On her part, the Commission Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government had been working assiduously to increase production as evidenced by the latest executive order which is targeted at deep offshore investments. She noted that production had risen from a low of 1.1mmbopd a few years ago to an estimated 1.755mmbopd in 2026.

Seeking the support of PENGASSAN to achieve this target, Eyesan, said industrial stability remained critical to hitting higher production targets.

“As you settle into your new role, be assured that the commission will give you 150 per cent cooperation. In addition to the support we will give you, we want to ask that we work very closely to actualise government objectives.

“We want to grow production from our current level to 3 million barrels in 2030. For gas, we are still doing under 8bcf and we want to grow that to 12bcf by 2030. So, let’s make that happen,” she stated.