Dangote Industries Limited has continuously shown its commitment to Nigeria’s economic development through continuous innovation, value creation and investments.
It has been noted that Dangote’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy had been monumental and the impact had been felt in almost every sector of the country.
The group restated this at its special day at the just concluded 2022 Lagos International Trade fair.
The group executive director, Commercial Operations, Hajiya Halima Aliko-Dangote said: “the president/chief executive of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote is passionate about deepening the Nigerian economy through industrialisation, job creation, provision and rehabilitation of essential infrastructure, and the welfare of the citizens.
“This informs our devotion as strategic partners with all the major Chambers of Commerce across the nation, and we sponsor their activities. Our participation at all major trade fairs across Nigeria demonstrates our belief that Chambers of Commerce & Industry occupy a unique position in driving economic development through their activities,” she pointed out.
Halima Aliko-Dangote, who was represented by the group chief commercial officer, Rabiu Umar said: “the theme of 2022 Lagos International Trade Fair, ‘Connecting Businesses, Creating Value’ resonates with us at Dangote Group, as our investment decisions are focused on creating values for all stakeholders across our subsidiaries.
“We have invested in several projects which are meant to create jobs and enhance rapid industrialisation of the Nigerian economy. Dangote Cement Plc remains the continent’s foremost cement producer, with operations in 10 African countries. The activities of the cement company through its multiplier effect, provides direct and indirect employment to millions of people across Africa.”
Giving an insight into the activities of the subsidiaries, she said, the activities of Dangote Cement have had a multiplier effect, providing direct and indirect employment to millions of people across Africa.
She added, “our food subsidiaries, Dangote Sugar Refinery, NASCON Allied Industries (Dangote Salt), and Dangote Rice are providing jobs through various schemes. Dangote Sugar Refinery, through its out-grower scheme, has provided jobs to thousands of farmers in the host communities.
“The coming of Dangote Fertiliser has to a great extent helped to change the face of agriculture in Nigeria, while the Dangote Petroleum Refinery when functional will drive the development of ancillary industries which will utilize the byproducts as raw materials.”
According to Aliko-Dangote, its quest to equip Nigerians with the necessary industrial and technological skills informed the collaboration between the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the VDMA (the German Association for Mechanical and Plant Engineering) and its Foundation for Young Talent in Mechanical Engineering (Nachwuchsstiftung Maschinenbau gGmbH-NWS).
“In this innovative programme, we recruited young Nigerians to be trained in various engineering areas to equip them with necessary skills to work in the manufacturing sector. We held the graduation of the first set of 118 trainees in October after an intensive 18-month training programme,” she stressed.
Towards filling the gap in some of its plants, she added that, “we recruited graduates of engineering and other technology-based courses and trained them on many aspects of industrial operations. These technicians were later deployed to our plants in Obajana, Ibese, Gboko as well as our sugar refinery in Apapa and salt refinery in Apapa and Ikeja.
“For our oil refinery and fertiliser plant, we have recruited hundreds of graduates of Engineering based courses and sent them abroad for training. These sets of professionals are to run the new plants and train other sets of engineers through skills’ transfer.”
She explained that, “our aim in training these youths is in line with a Chinese maxim, ‘give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime’. The skills will provide them with a means of livelihood for their families and hangers on.”
Dangote Sugar Refinery also unveiled its new retail sugar packs during the event. Head of Sales & Marketing, Dangote Sugar Refinery, Rilwan Olawale Yusuf, while speaking during the unveiling, said the new packs, which come in three variants, 1kg, 500g and 250g, will improve on-shelf brand visibility and enhance consumer preference for ‘our brand.’ According to him, the new product package will establish a clear differentiation and enhance the attractiveness of the pack.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) commended Dangote Industries Limited’s sustained efforts at providing basic infrastructure through various intervention projects.
The president of the LCCI, Dr. Micheal Olawale-Cole, said the foremost indigenous conglomerate has contributed significantly in providing solutions to the problems Governments have not been able to solve in areas of food sufficiency, road construction, housing, and energy.
He noted that Dangote Group has been at the forefront of job creation even as its products and services have touched the lives of millions of people across the African continent and beyond.
He enjoined other corporate bodies to emulate Dangote by assisting government in the provision of infrastructure, even if it has to be through a tax credit scheme, introduced by the federal government.
According to Olawale-Cole, “over the years, the Dangote Group has been part of the LITF as exhibitors, but now, they are a strategic partner of the fair. The group’s products and services have touched the lives of millions of people across the African continent and beyond. The Dangote Group has created millions of jobs across Africa and contributed immensely to many African countries’ gross domestic product (GDP).”
He noted that the soon-to-be-launched Dangote Refinery is estimated to be the most industrialised project in recent history, saying, the refinery is expected to provide a solution to the perennial problem of petroleum importation and contribute significantly to the country’s output.
He urged government to critically look into the issues affecting businesses against the background of creating a conducive regulatory environment where the private sector can thrive, create jobs and generate revenue for the government.
“Most of these companies operate in a very challenging operating environment characterised by foreign exchange volatility, rising inflation, weak consumer demand, and weak infrastructure (including poor electricity supply), amongst others affecting businesses during these global economic uncertainties,” he pointed out.
Dangote Industries Limited is a diversified and fully integrated conglomerate with an annual group turnover in excess of $4 billion (2016) with vibrant operations in Nigeria and Africa across a wide range of sectors including cement, sugar, salt, condiments, packaging, energy, port operations, fertiliser, and petrochemicals.
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