By UCHENNA ELETUO

The Dangote Group has pledged to scale-up its public social responsibility to better the life of Nigerians.

The group made the promise in a statement signed by its Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr Francis Awowole, in Lagos.

It said that the group Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said that the measure has become essential to carry its host communities along in the organisation’s expanding philosophy.

It said that Dangote made the policy plan known while hosting some visiting investors in his office in Lagos.

He told the visitors that the group was scaling-up its social intervention in communities hosting its companies across the country.

According to him, efforts are being made to impact positively on the host communities, saying his companies are expended billions of Naira in states where these investments are located.

“The corporate social responsibility projects undertaken by the companies is in addition to efforts by Aliko Dangote Foundation, which is presently giving out micro grants to vulnerable women in all the 774 local governments across the country.

“It will be recalled that the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, during his working tour of the Dangote’s expansive Savannah Sugar Company (SSCL) Ltd in Numan, Adamawa and Tunga sugar project site in Nasarawa, described the projects as ‘huge, impressive and amazing’.

“Dangote’s sugar plantation in Nasarawa is a very impressive sight. Amazingly, such a project exists in this place.

“What we have seen so far from all the plantations we have been to are very impressive. We are impressed with the level of work they are doing,” it quoted the minister to have said.

Dangote added that the execution of its Sugar Master Plan could fetch Nigeria over $700 million yearly.

He said that the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) when executed as designed could fetch the nation foreign exchange in excess of $700 million yearly from the backward integration component of the plan.

He however advised that the BIP scheme must be protected to insulate the Nigerian economy to be able to achieve the twin objectives of local manufacturing and job creation.

“If the national sugar master plan is followed strictly and the players all follow the rules, the country will be better for it as Nigeria will save between $600 million and $700 million annually as forex,” he said.

It added that Dangote Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Mr Mansur Ahmed, had described Nasarawa State as one of the easiest states in the country to do business.

While the General Manager for the BIP, Dangote Sugar, Mr John Beverley, said when the factory was fully operational, it would have the capacity to crush 12,000 tons of cane per day, while 90MW power would be generated for both company’s use and host communities.

Nasarawa State House of Assembly lawmakers who visited the Sugar Project site in August declared their support for the success of the project.

The group said that its Phase II of the project would be the largest integrated plant in Africa, when completed. (NAN)

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