Group Executive Director in the Corporate Communications Department of Dangote Group, Engineer Mansur Ahmed has rolled out many projects, worth about $20 Billion, which the group has embarked on to help the government of Muhammadu Buhari to revive the economy that is currently in recession.
In an interactive session today, Tuesday, with top media executives in Abuja, Engineer Mansur said that Dangote Group has taken the lead from the private sector perspective, in the government’s move to reinvigorate and diversify the nation’s economy.
According to him, the Group has responded positively to the government’s emphasis on agriculture and has therefore embarked on massive food production.
“We are focusing in agric, including integrated sugar manufacturing. We have 3,000 hentre in Adamawa State. Our sugar plant in Apapa, Lagos, one of the largest in Africa, is being positioned to produce 600,000 tons of Sugar per annum.
“We wish to establish sugar cane plantation in many states and hope to hit 100,000 hectre of sugar production in many states.
“We are going into massive rice production. We have started in Jigawa state and will go into full commercial rice farming. In the nex five years, we hope to establish 150,000 hectres of farm land across the country, with particular reference to Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi and Kwara states.”
Engr. Mansur said that the Group would also assist farmers in the acquisition of farm imputs such as fertilizer, irrigation for wet season farming, in addition to the extension services it would be rendering to farmers to increase their yield per hectre.
“Our main focus is on Northern states,” the Group’s communication strategist explained.
Engr. Mansur, who hinted that the Group is also venturing into the production of quality fertilizer which plant is already taking shape, said that the Group would increase its inputs in its core area of operations, which is the manufacturing of basic commodity that help people. They include cement, sugar, salt, Transport business, steel and others.
On cement, he said that the Group started in 2010 with production capacity of 10 million tons per annum, and that as at today, it has increased to 40 million tons per annum, adding: “we are hoping to hit 80 million tons per annum in no too distance future.”
He added that the Group produces cement in more than eight African countries even as it hoped to be the largest in Africa.
Engr. Mansur hinted that Group has ventured fully into gas pipeline, saying that it is hoping provide 250,000 people gainful employment and to saven the country huge foreign exchange.
“We will be saving over $100 million in foreign exchange,” he stressed, adding that crude refining to produce 650,000 barrel per day is in the offing. This is aimed at stemming importation of the product.
Answering a question during the interactive session, Engr. Mansur said that Dangote Group or even Alhaji Aliko Dangote had never asked any government for policy waver or any government favour in all the businesses the Group ventured into, saying: “we comply with all government measures but remain competitive. Dangote is not overbearing as some people are saying. Dangote is not getting any preference from government in its requirement, including Forex allocation.”
He attributed the rice in the price of cement to high foreign exchange rate, inadequate gas and other factors which are beyond the control of the Group.
On Aliko Dangote’s proposal to buy Arsenal Football Club in the United Kingdom, Engr. Mansur said that the issue is still in proposal form and that it has not been put into practice.
“No negotiation is currently going on. He will buy any Nigerian club that is viable.” [myad]
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