Zambia-Dangote: Come and build our fertilizer industry

 

DSC 4918; L-R, Dangote Cement Zambia, Director, Lynda Mataka, President/CE of Dangote Industries limited, Aliko Dangote, Zambia Minister of Commerce, Trade & Trade: Chipoka Mulenga, Zambia High Commissioner to Nigeria, Oscar Shitima, During the Zambia Minister Visit the President/CE of Dangote Industries Limited, in his Residence, Victoria Island Lagos. 

By Akinola Ajibade

Zambia needs the President,  Dangote Group of Companies,  Aliko Dangote to establish a  fertilizer plant in the country and further help in developing agriculture in Africa,  its Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Chipoka Mulenga, has said.

He made this statement,  during a tour of 3.00 million metric tonnes Dangote Fertilizer plant in Lagos recently.

Mulenga, who led a delegation from Zambia to the plant, said that a collaboration between Dangote Group and the Zambian government in the area of establishing a fertilizer plant is inevitable, if the southern African country would have one of the most thriving fertilizer plants in the continent.

According to him, any investment in fertilizer production will not only help the country to be self sufficient in food production, it will also help  grow the Zambian economy as well as that of neighbouring countries.

The Zambian government, Mulenga said, has  created an enabling environment for local and foreign investment through great incentives to attract investment in all sectors of the economy, stressing that Dangote would be at home, when its comes to having fertilizer plant in Zambia.

He said: “The Zambian government in the last budget made some pronouncements which focus on value addition, industrialisation, skill enhancement and development. We have a huge youthful population who are ready to work if given the opportunity to be productive." 

Continuing further, Mulenga describes  Zambia as Africa’s new investment destination because of its stable political system, macroeconomic environment and investment protection guarantees.

Zambia, he said, is strong in agriculture and even seeking to become stronger through having its own Fertiliser plant. 

"Rather than continue to import Fertiliser from anywhere, we want Aliko Dangote to come and establish plant in Zambia. The country’s fertiliser consumption has increased tremendously in the last few years and has continued to increase. I am happy that we no longer have to go outside of Africa to seek investors. Dangote has been able to change the narratives through his investment in cement production across Africa.

Adding that: " We now have Africans investing in the Africa continent. Dangote has already established the biggest cement plant in Zambia. Dangote Cement Zambia has a remarkable portfolio and is bringing positive change to the cement industry, not only in Zambia, but also to other neigbouring countries."

He  commended the Chief Executive officer, Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote for investing massively in fertiliser production in Nigeria.

This, the Minister said, could only happen in the company where the right people, right leadership, right technical skills and the right management are put in place to achieve a remarkable result.

 Also,the  Chief Executive Officer,  Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Mr. Vishwajit Sinha said demand for Urea fertiliser in the Nigerian market and beyond remains robust and is expected to continue to grow.

He said the $2.5 billion fertiliser complex would make Nigeria self-sufficient in fertiliser production with excess capacity exported to other African countries and the rest of the world.

“The key focus of Dangote Fertiliser has always been to cater to the growing fertiliser demand of the domestic market in Nigeria and also to work towards bringing a green revolution in the country so as to contribute towards food security for Nigeria.  The surplus production after supplying the domestic market is exported,” Sinha said.

Sinha stressed  that Dangote Fertiliser is positioned to take advantage of the Federal Government’s policy, which focuses on agriculture as one of the keys to unlock the diversification of the Nigerian economy.

 “As population is increasing, food consumption is changing. Many countries’ economic progress is linked to agricultural development, which is the best form of inclusive development. For all the countries that I have been to, I can see the potential of agriculture in the entire value chain from the farm to the kitchen in Nigeria.

 “Dangote Fertiliser has the potential to transform the entire African region. Definitely it will have a huge value on the country,” he added.

Sinha described Dangote Fertiliser plant as a company which will not only increase food-sufficiency in Nigeria, but also drastically reduce the level of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country through the generation of direct and indirect employment. Sinha said.