Africa’s richest man and industrialist Aliko Dangote has vowed to challenge efforts to halt the construction of his proposed $16 billion oil refinery in Kenya.

Dangote said he was not surprised by the court order stopping construction, describing such challenges as part of the difficulties businesses encounter when investing in Africa.

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In a video posted by Bloomberg and sighted by GhanaWeb Business on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the Nigerian industrialist said he was prepared to confront anyone seeking to frustrate the project.

“Anybody who wants to cause trouble, we are ready for them,” he declared.

Dangote said he learnt about the development shortly after landing at night. He explained that he had switched off his phone’s Wi-Fi during the flight to avoid disturbances and only saw the news after reconnecting.

“One court have given an order that we shouldn't do any construction. I said, no, no, this is normal for us in Africa,” he said.

He cited a similar experience in Senegal, where authorities halted construction of one of his company’s factories for a year.

According to Dangote, the company took the matter to the Supreme Court and secured a judgment.

“In Senegal, it's not even court. We went, they stopped even our factory for one year. We went up to the Supreme Court to get a judgment,” he said.

The proposed refinery is expected to be a major investment in Kenya’s energy sector.

Dangote’s remarks signal his intention to pursue the project despite the legal challenge and defend the investment through the appropriate legal channels.

"Anybody who wants to cause trouble, we are ready for them."

Aliko Dangote says he is prepared to take on any court challenge to his $16 billion refinery in Kenya https://t.co/9KY46Fh2WZ pic.twitter.com/IgQJgi6JXG

— Bloomberg (@business) September 29, 2026