Dangote to invest N300bn on fertilizer plant in Edo

 by Cajetan Mmuta, Benin

THE groundbreak ing ceremony of a $2 billion (about N300 billion) fertilizer plant, the biggest in Africa to be sited in Agenebode, Edo State will be done before the end of Janu-ary, next year.

President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, disclosed this on Monday during the second term swearing in ceremony of Edo state governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole held at the Samuel Ogbemu-dia Stadium in Benin the state capital.

He said arrangements have been concluded for the ceremony before the end of December, this year or towards the end of January 2013.

Alhaji Dangote, listed by Forbes magazine as Africa’s richest man, said the company which is expected to employ more than ten thousand people directly and indi-rectly will be completed in three years.

He said: “yes, we will build the biggest fertil-izer plant in Africa here in Edo State.”

According to the industrialist, “Comrade Oshiomhole has done well on road, infrastructure, but now he’s going to deliver on job creation. We will partner with him to make sure he gives us a conducive environment to create jobs here in Edo State.

“He has already men-tioned that we will set up a fertiliser plant here in Edo State. I am sure he wants me to reaffirm that, yes, we will build the biggest fertilizer plant in Africa here in Edo State.

“It is a commitment and I am reassuring you, your excellency, by this year, either in December of January, next year, we will perform the ground breaking ceremony in Edo State. It will be at a cost of $2 billion.

“I am reassuring you, in the presence of every-body, that in the next three years, Edo State will be exporting fertilizer from here to other parts of Africa.”

NigerianCompass