Aliko Dangote provides 10,000 New Jobs in Nigeria

In everything that we do, money never comes first. The overall interest is to produce what will benefit all Nigerians-Aliko Dangote

On February 9, 2012 President Goodluck Jonathan will lead other Nigerians to usher in new era for the country's economy, as the Dangote Cement officially opens its new factory expected to mark the end of cement importation into the Nigeria.

The factory located at Ibeshe, Ogun State, is expected to commence the production of six million metric tonnes of cement and add some 10,000 direct and indirect jobs into the Nigerian economy.

Dangote conglomerate currently provides about 40, 000 jobs and pay about N50 billion tax annually.

Hundreds of local and foreign companies have closed shop, while others are relocating to Ghana, owing to what they described as infrastructural deficit in Nigeria.

According to the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN), 834 firms folded up in 2009 alone, and many more subsequently, due to hostile operating environment.

This should be good news to the 20 million Nigerian youth who are unemployed, and to the Federal Government, whose responsibility is to cater for the welfare of Nigerians.

Nigeria's unemployment rate of 41.6% is about the highest in the world; more than the 25% average rate for North Africa and the Middle East which have been shaken by civil unrest spearheaded by unemployed youths.

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had told the nation that his organization was taking up the challenge to lead the way in that effort as making the nation self-reliant in the cement production as the nation was losing a huge sum in foreign exchange on import.

Dangote's current project in cement manufacturing is to further extend his consortium across Africa. Its cement investment which has generated revenues of US$3 billion in 2010, already reaches 14 African countries, including: Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, the DRC, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. Alhaji Aliko Dangote is the Chairman of the Federal Government job creation committee. He is also member of the national economic management team. He was conferred with the second highest national honour of GCON by President Jonathan last year. In the same vein, the Dangote Group has since signed an agreement with Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited for the commencement of work on Fertilizer Company in Edo State. With this, the Dangote fertilizer project promises to provide additional 7,000 jobs.

It is axiomatic that the contribution of the Dangote Group to the economic wellbeing of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized as just last year the group expended N15.5billion in Corporate Social Responsibility to various communities in Nigeria.

In justifying such an unprecedented contribution, Alhaji Dangote had said: "In any environment where all you do is profit making and you don't put anything back. It is like feeding a cow and not feeding it well to have better quality milk."

BY JIBRIN ABUBAKAR