Dangote Group of Companies has called on investors to participate in Nigeria’s International Trade Fairs to be able to generate awareness even as the President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Odeiga Jideonwo described the company as pride of Africa.
The Dangote Regional Sales Director, South East, Abayomi Shittu, who represented the Dangote Managing Director and Chief Executive Office, Aliko Dangote at the Dangote Special Day at the ongoing 35th Enugu International Trade Fair made the call.
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He said that Dangote’s participation at trade fairs was not to make immediate capital but to generate awareness on their innovative products.
“Our participation in the fair was to be able to further generate awareness on our innovative products, drive higher sales, get prospective buyers, improve the image of our brands, and open up new markets that will further translate into job creation and overall economic development in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
He commended the theme of this year’s fair which is ‘Promoting Made-In-Nigeria products for Global Competitiveness’ saying that it aligned with the aspiration of making and promoting made in Nigerian products instead of relying of foreign goods.
“As a major sponsor of the Enugu International Trade Fair, this year’s theme ‘Promoting Made in Nigeria Products for Global Competitiveness’ resonates with us at Dangote Group as we are focused on domestically manufacturing goods that were hitherto usually imported despite the abundance of raw materials for such products in Nigeria.
“Today, through our vast investments across many sectors, we are adding value to the raw materials and transforming the same into finished products. In these sectors, we are creating linkages that connect the whole economy while at the same time promote backward integration.
“We believe that industrialisation is key to diversification of the economy.
Our passion for industrialisation, creation of linkages and value addition informs our investment decisions. We are focused on creating values for all stakeholders.
“Our target is to ensure that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in all the sectors where we play: cement, agriculture, mining, and oil and gas.
“Dangote Cement, one of our business units has helped in making Nigeria become self-sufficient in local production of cement, and now exports clinker to other countries.
“Through its multiplier effect, Dangote Cement provides direct and indirect employment to millions of people across Africa and has touched lives by building schools, hospitals & clinics, roads, markets, vocational training centers in numerous host communities,” Shittu pointed out.
Apart from industrialisation and employment provision, Shittu said that Dangote trains young Nigerians on different skills to better their lives and also advance Nigeria economy.
According to Shitu “In September 2023, we concluded the induction of a batch of graduate trainees, 70 young Nigerians, recruited from different spheres of learning. They are now distributed across the group as graduate trainees. This is part of our contribution of providing employment to young Nigerians. Dangote Cement is also inducting 130 fresh Graduate Trainees to complement this process.
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“We also provided training on best agricultural practices for youths willing to embrace agri-business as a profession. The skills will provide them with viable means of livelihood for their families and other dependent.”
Earlier, the president of ECCIMA, Odeiga Jideonwo described the Dangote Group of companies, as the pride of Africa.
Jideonwo said that Dangote business and entrepreneurship has spread to many parts of Africa and has employed lots of people which are mainly Nigerians that Dangote Group shoes great level and high degree of vision, creative thinking, research, innovations, doggedness, hard work which has culminated to what one can describe as the Dangote business and industrial empire,” he extolled.
