Lead image for Why Kenya’s growth goals demand a new kind of legal adviser.
Kenya serves as a shining example of the fact that Africa is no longer a market of potential alone. The country is deploying a multi-alliance approach to economic growth and national security, setting it on course to make the most of the continent’s rising industrial scale, cross-border capital flows and homegrown corporate ambition.
On the sidelines of the G7 in June 2026, Kenya and the United States signed a preliminary agreement enabling the country to refine its critical mineral resources domestically.
Also in June, Kenya signed a $1.2 billion agreement with the China Road and Bridge Corporation to expand and modernise Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Several other infrastructure projects in ports, roads, rail and energy have also been announced.
A visit from French President Emmanuel Macron in May produced 11 bilateral agreements valued over $1 billion, focused mainly on transport, logistics, renewable energy and technology infrastructure.
As the East African bloc’s largest economic contributor, Kenya has also been strengthening regional ties by eliminating non-tariff barriers and increasing bilateral trade with neighbouring Tanzania.
The Dangote Group serves as an example of Africa’s tremendous corporate ambition. A measure of its scale is the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, which has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it Africa’s largest refinery and the world’s largest single-train refinery.
It commenced fuel production in 2024 and reportedly plans to expand capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day within 30 months. The Group is now reportedly considering investing in a new petroleum refinery in East Africa.
The Dangote Group is one example of the rise of large Pan-African corporates with the scale and sophistication to compete globally.
In the financial services sector, institutions like Standard Bank, Equity Bank, Nedbank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Ecobank are aggressively pursuing cross-border acquisitions and building integrated platforms that connect African economies.