By Uzor Odigbo
Special Correspondent, Lagos
Nigerians maysuffer acute hunger by 2020 if the country fails to check importation of dairy products which accounts for 98 per cent of its consumption.
Dangote Group President, AlikoDangote, who gave the warning, urged individuals and organisations to invest and produce things locally both to boost the economy and to stave off imminent hunger.
“By 2020,” he stressed,“it is estimated that the Nigerian population would have risen to between 207 million and 210 million. If we do not make efforts to grow and process our own foods, God forbid, we will go hungry.
“This is why Dangote Group has planned to develop dairy plants, and develop homegrown milk production, to reduce importation.
“We have been in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on ways we can add value to our local produce, and we have marked massive dairy production for the next three years.
“We cannot solve all of Nigeria’s problems, but at least we can embrace and add value to areas where we have comparative advantage.”
He said Dangote Group is the most capitalised company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), with investments which include six ongoing projects that would create no fewer than 250,000 jobs across the country.
Dangote bared his mind to students of the Executive MBA class of Lagos Business School who visited Dangote Petrochemical Refinery,which is into gas plants, petrochemicals, and fertiliser production.
According to him, the company could generate an annual foreign exchange (forex) savings of $15 billion, create 1,500 direct jobs, 15,000 indirect ones in support services and logistics, and provide 22,000 housing facilities.
The East West Onshore Gas Gathering Section pipeline of the refinery is a $3 billion investment dedicated to generate 12,000 mega watts(mw) of power for industries.
Dangote urged the students and other potential entrepreneurs to go into businesses they are familiar with.
