Dangote reaffirms commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base, MSMEs

The Dangote Group has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base and supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

The South East Regional Director of Dangote Cement, Mr. Olatunbosun Jinadu, stated this on Wednesday in Enugu during the Dangote Special Day at the ongoing 37th Enugu International Trade Fair organised by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce.

Jinadu noted that while MSMEs remained the backbone of both local and global economies, their competitiveness in Nigeria was hindered by high production costs including energy, raw materials availability and infrastructure challenges.

To address these challenges, he highlighted the group’s long-term growth agenda, which focfocused on industrial expansion, consolidation, and cross-border investments aimed at boosting Africa’s self-sufficiency in critical sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

According to him, the strategy includes plans to expand the capacity of the Dangote Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day and the scaling up of the fertiliser production to 12 million metric tonnes annually.

The director noted that the company was also increasing output at its polypropylene plant to meet rising demand across packaging, textiles, automotive, medical, and construction industries.

He said, “Nigeria’s economic transformation must be anchored on local production and industrial self-reliance.

“Dangote Refinery remains a flagship project driving local content development through job creation, skills transfer, and the engagement of Nigerian professionals.”

On the theme of the fair: “Empowering MSMEs for Global Competitiveness”, the director said that the theme showed that “the fair is not just an exhibition of products, but a clarion call to strengthen the MSMEs”.

He said that MSMEs formed the backbone of local and global economies.

He also urged participants to engage with Dangote’s various business units exhibiting at the fair and take advantage of opportunities to partner with the company.

In his remarks, the President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Mr Nnanyelugo Onyemelukwe, commended the Dangote Group for its sustained support of the fair, while calling for deeper investment in the South-East.

Onyemelukwe noted that the group’s consistent sponsorship of the fair for five consecutive years demonstrated its commitment to the growth of commerce and industry in Enugu State and the South-East.

He expressed optimism that the Dangote refinery would help address the persistent challenges of fuel scarcity and high petroleum prices in Nigeria.

The chamber boss also urged the company to work closely with the Federal Government to bring relief to citizens.

“We are indeed happy that Dangote Group has been part of our success story.

“The refinery should give Nigerians hope by addressing the rising cost of refined petroleum products,” he said.