PARTICIPANTS at the 2024 Abuja International Trade Fair(AITF) have been thronging the pavilion of the Dangote Group to make inquiries about the company, and its state-of-the-art oil refinery, which recently commenced the discharge of petroleum products.
Dangote Group is one of the major sponsors of the 19th Trade Fair organised by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry(ACCI).
Many of the participants were seen milling around the company’s other business units, which include: Dangote Fertiliser, Dangote Sugar, NASCON(Dangote Salt), and Dangote Cement.
A participant and block Moulder, Peter Ibrahim, told newsmen: “I am here at the Dangote booth to find out what business and job opportunities are available at the Dangote Refinery. We know the company must have created several opportunities.”
Speaking in the same vein, a cement dealer, Sale Sagir, said: “Let me be honest. I came to this Trade Fair because of Dangote Group. I sell cement, but now I have come to find out what it takes to be a distributed of other products, especially the Dangote Petroleum products.”
This year’s Trade Fair has as its theme: “Mobility Options for Transportation, Trade Financing, and Taxation.”
Speaking at the company’s Special Day, Senior Adviser to the Group President on Special Projects and Strategic Relations, Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, said the Dangote Group has contributed to growing the Nigerian economy through transportation, trade financing and taxation.
She said: “Furthermore, during the construction of the Dangote Refinery, we had to construct a jetty in Lekki Free Zone to handle our bulk cargoes (including ne of the two largest cranes in the world), that we imported during the construction stage.”
“Today, we are exporting our products to a number of African countries through the same port. We also plan to ease the pressure on the roads from the Refinery by transporting finished petroleum products to other ports by along the Nigerian coast by sea, for further distribution to the hinterland.”
She said the company is also investing in Compressed Natural Gas(CNG).
“In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and also reduce costs, over the past decade, we have converted about a third of our fleet so far. This is an ongoing process, till we convert the entire fleet,” she said.
She added that the company is investing hugely in the agricultural subsector of the economy, assuring that the company’s products will soon hit the market.
Speaking earlier at the Special Day, President of the ACCI, Chief Emeka Obegolu, described the Dangote Group as the engine-room for Nigeria’s industrilization.
Chief Obegolu, who was represented by Aisha Ado Abdullahi, ACCI Vice President Legal, commended the company for what he said was an “unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s development.”
He added: “The taxes paid by the Group have contributed significantly to national revenue, funding infrastructure projects, and social programs that benefit millions of Nigerians.”