Dangote Group, Africa’s leading transnational manufacturing enterprise, has expressed support to the ongoing move by the Nigerian government to re-invent the nation’s economy on the path of sustainable growth and development.
In doing this, the company said it was scaling up its investment in the areas of agriculture and mining in line with the aspiration of the government to boost activities in the two sectors.
Mansur Ahmed, director, Stakeholder Relations and Corporate Communications of the company, made this disclosure on Wednesday, during an interactive session with journalists in the commercial city of Kano.
According to Ahmed, the move being made by the company is expected to translate into creation of new jobs for the army of unemployed Nigerians, as well as generation of chain of business activities in the two sectors.
He stated that as a way forward, the company also planned to invest in massive cultivation of crops such as: rice, wheat, and millet, in addition to increase the number of the farmers participating in the Out-growers Programme it kick start in Jigawa State.
“In the past 30 years, Dangote Group has been trying to move it operations from being a trading outfit to a global player in the manufacturing of tangible household commodities.
“In achieving this objective, the company has been investing heavily in various sectors of the economy, which ranges from power, cement, sugar, and other commodities, like flour, salt, among others.
“Through our strategic investment in key basic needs of the nation, Nigeria has been able to increase it cement production from less than 4 million metric tons, to over 40 million metric,” Ahmed noted.
In the area of Agriculture, he disclosed that the company has concluded arrangement to increase the number of farmers involved in it out-grower scheme in Hadeija in Jigawa State from 800 to 2000 by next year.
“One of the ways the company intends increasing it investment activities in Jigawa state, in particular, is the establishment of milling plants. We also plan to acquire about 12,000 hectares of land for commercial agriculture purpose in Hadeija.
“In the same vein, the company is into discussions with the governments of Niger, Kogi, and Edo states to acquire vast hectares land for commercial agricultural activities,” he added.
In order to help provide basic agricultural inputs required to grow agriculture production in the country, Ahmed hinted that the company is building a fertilizer plant that will be producing about 2.8 million metric tons of various brands of fertilizers.
Giving an insight into his company investment initiative in the Mining Sector, he said they intend investing in coal mining in Kogi State, explaining that the will be used as alternative fuel for it manufacturing plants across the country.
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