Aliko Dangote has named the senior executive behind the technology that will power his planned 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, revealing that the technology provider will earn a commission on every barrel processed.

Dangote made the remarks on Wednesday, September 30, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the $16 billion (KSh 2 trillion) East African oil refinery in Lamu, attended by President William Ruto and other African leaders.

The project is expected to be completed within 40 months and is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

Who will earn commission from Dangote Lamu refinery?

During his address, Dangote recognised Rajesh Gattupalli, the president of Honeywell UOP, who was present at the Lamu ceremony.

"The company that sold the technology of building this refinery is UOP, and I'm sure the MD is here. Dr Rajesh, can you stand so that you can be recognised?" Dangote said.

He then explained the commercial arrangement behind the technology.
"We bought the technology from him. So for every barrel we process, he collects a commis-sion. I'm serious," Dangote said.

Honeywell UOP provides process technology, licensing, equipment and related services to the re-fining, petrochemical and gas-processing industries.

What is Honeywell UOP?

Honeywell UOP is a major technology and process-licensing company serving the global refining and petrochemical industries.

Its work includes technologies used to convert crude oil and natural gas into fuels and other prod-ucts. Its portfolio covers areas such as refining, gas processing, hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel and other energy technologies.

The company has also worked with Dangote before. In April 2017, UOP announced that it had secured a contract from Dangote Oil Refinery Company for critical equipment, technology licensing and design services for the Dangote refinery in Lekki, Nigeria.

The agreement included technologies such as RFCC, Unicracking, CCR Platforming, Penex and Butamer.

Honeywell has continued to work with Dangote on the Nigerian refinery, with the company saying in 2025 that it had been providing process technology to the facility for nearly a decade.

Dangote to expand workforce at refinery

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Dangote Refinery plans to double its workforce.

The agreement included technologies such as RFCC, Unicracking, CCR Platforming, Penex and Butamer.

Honeywell has continued to work with Dangote on the Nigerian refinery, with the company saying in 2025 that it had been providing process technology to the facility for nearly a decade.

Dangote to expand workforce at refinery

Meanwhile, earlier reports indicated that Dangote Refinery plans to double its workforce.

Edwin Devakumar, Vice President of Oil & Gas and Fertiliser at Dangote Industries Limited, dis-closed this to journalists during a visit to the refinery in Lagos on Friday, September 18, 2026.

Edwin Devakumar, Vice President of Oil & Gas and Fertiliser at Dangote Industries Limited, dis-closed this to journalists during a visit to the refinery in Lagos on Friday, September 18, 2026.

The planned workforce expansion is tied to Dangote Refinery’s broader ambition to increase its processing capacity from the current 700,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2029.