.Eyes partnership with Dangote Group
By Valentine Amanze
Kwara State alone has the potential and the fertile land to produce Nigeria’s sugar need, says Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq .
The governor gave the assurance during a visit to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant in Lagos.
AbdulRazaq said that his administration was keying into public-private partnerships to attract investments and create jobs and wealth for the people.
With a monthly wage bill of about N2.2 billion, which gulps at least 75% of the statutory allocation to the state government, AbdulRazaq said that the only viable alternative was for the state to attract the right investments that would rev up revenue and economic growth, according to a statement on Thursday by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye.
AbdulRazaq, however, said that the drive would be made simple because of the state’s fertile land, peaceful environment and his focus on fixing the basic infrastructure — the yardsticks AbdulRazaq said should attract investors.
Aliko Dangote, the chairman of the largest petrochemical plant in Africa, who conducted AbdulRazaq round the facility, confirmed his interest in large-scale sugar production in Kwara State.
The Dangote Group has already acquired over 16,000 hectares out of the 50,000 hectares of land it needs for the sugar production in Patigi Local Government Area of the state.
AbdulRazaq, however, promised that his administration would work with the Dangote Group to make the investments a reality.