The management of Dangote Industries Limited recently announced the completion of one of the biggest fertiliser plants in the world. The company is also on the verge of completing the world’s biggest single train refinery in Nigeria. How would the coming on stream of the two plants help in the country’s post-COVID-19 economic recession crisis?
The Dangote Refinery is one of the best things that have happened to this country. Annually, we spend billions of dollars on the importation of petroleum products. In fact, the importation of petroleum product is the largest single product that puts the greatest pressure on our foreign reserves and also on government revenue. Therefore, the coming on stream of the Dangote refinery will save the Nigerian economy the trouble and agony of spending billions of dollars on the importation of petroleum products. The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is a leading proponent of self-reliance, economic diversification and backward integration. And he has demonstrated this conviction severally in practical terms. To build an economy that is sustainable and resilient, this is the way to go. Our current experience with this COVID-19 pandemic illustrates this fact even more graphically. We also commit huge foreign exchange to the importation of fertiliser annually. As a country with strong comparative advantage in agriculture, the setting up of this fertilizer plant will help to reposition the agricultural sector, enhance agricultural productivity, reduce the cost of fertilizer, as well as conserve foreign exchange. It is therefore a very important investment, which all Nigerians should be very proud of.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote is leading private sector leaders, under the auspices of Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to raise funds to tackle the spread of Coronavirus. How do you assess the importance of this coalition to the country?
The intervention of the private sector under the hospices of the Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 is a laudable idea. It is a reflection of the commitment of the private sector to the ideals of business sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Businesses operate in a society, and the well-being of a business is dependent, to some extent, on the well-being of the society in which it operates. A business can only be as good and as stable as the community in which it is operating. Social stability is crucial for business sustainability. This private sector intervention is also significant because the federal government has serious funding limitations at this time. The COVID-19 pandemic is a major threat to humanity and demands that all hands must be on deck. I must also commend the leadership demonstrated by Alhaji Aliko Dangote in mobilising the private sector for this historic intervention.
The Dangote Refinery is one of the best things that have happened to this country. Annually, we spend billions of dollars on the importation of petroleum products. In fact, the importation of petroleum product is the largest single product that puts the greatest pressure on our foreign reserves and also on government revenue. Therefore, the coming on stream of the Dangote refinery will save the Nigerian economy the trouble and agony of spending billions of dollars on the importation of petroleum products. The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is a leading proponent of self-reliance, economic diversification and backward integration. And he has demonstrated this conviction severally in practical terms. To build an economy that is sustainable and resilient, this is the way to go. Our current experience with this COVID-19 pandemic illustrates this fact even more graphically. We also commit huge foreign exchange to the importation of fertiliser annually. As a country with strong comparative advantage in agriculture, the setting up of this fertilizer plant will help to reposition the agricultural sector, enhance agricultural productivity, reduce the cost of fertilizer, as well as conserve foreign exchange. It is therefore a very important investment, which all Nigerians should be very proud of.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote is leading private sector leaders, under the auspices of Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to raise funds to tackle the spread of Coronavirus. How do you assess the importance of this coalition to the country?
The intervention of the private sector under the hospices of the Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 is a laudable idea. It is a reflection of the commitment of the private sector to the ideals of business sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Businesses operate in a society, and the well-being of a business is dependent, to some extent, on the well-being of the society in which it operates. A business can only be as good and as stable as the community in which it is operating. Social stability is crucial for business sustainability. This private sector intervention is also significant because the federal government has serious funding limitations at this time. The COVID-19 pandemic is a major threat to humanity and demands that all hands must be on deck. I must also commend the leadership demonstrated by Alhaji Aliko Dangote in mobilising the private sector for this historic intervention.