As President Muhammadu Buhari commissions Africa’s largest fertiliser complex, Dangote Granulated Urea Fertiliser Limited at Lekki, Lagos on Tuesday, Aliko Dangote group has been lauded for creating additional 5,000 jobs and saving $125 million on fertiliser imports.
The Director General, Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) Ilorin, Comrade Issa Aremu, in his congratulatory message to the President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group of industries, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertiliser Limited has created 5,000 direct and indirect construction jobs and saved $125 million in fertilizer import substitution for Nigeria.
According to Aremu, the Dangote Fertiliser Limited once again stands Aliko Dangote group out “as Africa’s leading industrializer and largest employer of labour, with the expected largest 650,000 barrels-per-day petroleum refinery, (more than enough to meet Nigeria’s petrol needs and for export). Aliko Dangote has long changed the narrative of Nigeria and Africa from pessimism of exporter of raw materials, importers of finished products to that of manufacturing, value addition and mass job creation.
“Aliko Dangote is often reported as the richest man in Africa. But what is even more significant is that he is a lead- industrializer, lead employer of labour, based on value adding manufacturing activities ranging from production of cement, sugar and flour and now to fertilizer and petroleum products, among others”.
The Director General praised the collaboration between the Federal Government, Lagos state government and Aliko group for “facilitating the conception and completion of the new plant. The historic event would accelerate the implementation of Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution Plan as contained in the new National Development Plan recently unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As Nigerians prepare for the 2023 general elections, it was time for all stakeholders in Nigeria’s project for New Partnership for Development, Diversification and Mass Employment. We should build on the strengths of Nigeria’s raw materials, large market and abundant human resources and minimize the weaknesses of policy inconsistency and weak Infrastructure to grow the non- oil extractive sector.
“In this respect we must commend the investment patriotism and pan African orientation of the President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group of industries, Alhaji Aliko Dangote in changing the narrative of Africa from that of ‘resource curse’ to resource beneficiation. It is an open knowledge that Dangote group is a leading ‘Doing Group’ in Africa,” Aremu said.
Dangote Fertiliser Plant is Africa’s largest Granulated Urea Fertiliser complex. The plant occupies 500 hectares of land in Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos Nigeria. It was built at a cost of $2.5 billion. With Nigeria estimated to need about 5 to 7 million metric tonnes per annum of fertiliser and with the current level of fertiliser consumption in the country which is 1.5 million metric tonnes, Dangote Fertiliser complex was established to produce 3 million metric tonnes per annum of urea fertiliser in phase 1.
