Dangote calls for local products patronage

By Kayode Ogunwale

L-R: Managing Director, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Mr Paul Farrer; Deputy Managing Director, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Ahmed Yakassai; Executive Director, Stakeholder Management and Corporate Communication, Engr. Ahmed Mansur; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nike Akande at Dangote Day at 2016 Lagos Trade Fair organized by LCCI.
L-R: Managing Director, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Mr Paul Farrer; Deputy Managing Director, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Ahmed Yakassai; Executive Director, Stakeholder Management and Corporate Communication, Engr. Ahmed Mansur; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nike Akande at Dangote Day at 2016 Lagos Trade Fair organized by LCCI.

President of Dangote Industrial Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has said for Nigeria economy to be firmed, Nigerians need to patronize local producing goods and services.

Speaking at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair organised by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, Aliko Dangote represented by Executive Director, Stakeholder Management & Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, Engr. Mansur Ahmed said emergence of Donald Trump as American President elect is a great opportunity to develop Nigeria and Africa.

According to him,  “yesterday, Trump become the America President elect, for us in Nigeria and Africa at large, this incident should be a waking force, one of the thing that Trump is repotted to do was that he will ask Nigerians to go back to their countries and fix it instead of coming to America.”

He said, if Nigerians don’t sit at home and fix Nigeria economy, there is no justification for going to other country, saying the responsibility of fixing our economy is on all of us, from the top to bottom.

He said if every Nigerian has responsibility of buying made in Nigeria products, it will lead to growth of Nigeria economy.

“If we don’t eat what we produce in this country, we will continue to seek solace in other people’s country. We must promote our products, buy what is produced in this country and we must encourage our producers.”

He noted that, Dangote Group has not only consistently invested in Nigeria but have consistently produced for Nigerian and other Africa countries.

According to him, goal of Dangote is to produced everything that is basic to the needs of the people and that is why the company are expanding its existing products and going onto new ones.

“Nigeria has the responsibility of the developing Africa because we are the biggest nation in the continent and that is why Dangote Group is not limiting its frontier to Nigeria alone but going into the Africa countries.”

He urged federal government to provide enabling business environment that would make business to thrive, saying government should come up with policy that will attract Nigerians and foreigners to invest in the country.

In her own part, the President of LCCI, Chief Nike Akande, represented by Deputy President, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase said Dangote Group is a proudly Nigeria company operating in most states of Nigeria and even spreading to other African countries.

She stressed that Dangote Group is a leading employer of human capital in Nigeria’s private sector with a workforce of more than 12,000.

As we diversify our economy away from oil to majorly agriculture, Akande call on government to provide a conducive business and regulatory environment with some high level of economic stability in the country for businesses to thrive.

She however urged government to promote patronage of made in Nigeria goods and services in order to support local enterprises and reduce over dependence on imports.