As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to its host communities, Dangote Cement company, Ibese Plant, Ogun State, south west Nigeria has unveiled four multi-million Naira empowerment schemes targeted at youths, women, farmers and students.
The company presented numerous items such as chest freezers and grinding machines to about 100 women to boost their trade.
60 farmers, who had been trained on modern farming practices, also received weeding machines while scholarships were given to 17 Secondary school students and 103 tertiary institution students.
Other beneficiaries, who benefited from the projects, include 30 youths trained in shoe and bag-making.
The Dangote Cement company Plant Director, Mr. Azad Nawabuddin while speaking at the 2023 Host Community Day, noted that the company had stepped up its social interventions, given the prevailing challenging situation across the world.
According to Nawabuddin, businesses and families across the world and particularly in Nigeria, have been confronted with socio-economic challenges in the year 2023.
He pointed out that a lot has happened to test the Nigerians’ and organisations resilience and innovation, but that Dangote Cement company had been able to weather the storm and remained afloat mainly due to the unalloyed support received from the host communities.
“The challenges notwithstanding, we are able to continue the upward trajectory in the delivery of our socio-economic development promises, in reciprocation and in line with our commitment to improving the overall wellbeing of our people. We have stepped up our social interventions in our host communities according to their needs and we will not shy away from making the people happy”, Nawabuddin stated.
He said Dangote Cement company’s commitment to the wellbeing and development of Nigerians through intentional empowerment programmes remain unwavering.
Nawabuddin said that the management would continue to get better in its stride to fulfill the pact it has with the host communities and to complement the efforts of the government in improving the standard of living of Nigerians.
He described the scholarship programme as the oldest of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by the plant, adding that the scheme, which began with 28 students, has grown to cover 103 tertiary institution students and 17 secondary school students on annual basis.
Noting that the selected students enjoy scholarship up to graduation stage, after which the concerned communities supply replacements, Nawabuddin disclosed that a total of 989 Scholarships have been awarded under the scheme to date, with many testaments to the positive impacts on the various communities.
On youth empowerment, the Dangote Cement company boss said youths are regarded as a very critical stakeholder group in every society.
He expressed regret that it has become impracticable for governments and businesses to meet the employment demand of all the youths.
“Therefore, as a responsible organisation, Dangote Cement, Ibese annually trains and empowers youths across the host communities in marketable trade areas, with various implementing partners since 2019,” Nawabuddin pointed out.
According to him, “Host community Youths had been empowered in vocations such as Catering and Event Management, Acutherapy, Tailoring and Fashion designing, and Domestic Electrification in the previous years and that this year.
“No fewer than 30 youths selected from the 17 host communities are being trained on Shoe and Bag-making, with the Industrial Training Fund as the implementing partner,” he said.
On empowerment of the farmers, Nawabuddin stated that the farmers need support to take advantage of the available large span of arable land and that was why Dangote Cement Ibese procured 60 Weeding Machines for the farmer beneficiaries, “as it is becoming increasingly difficult to source labour from the neighbouring Benin Republic as was the usual practice,” Nawabuddin said.
On the decision to empower women, he said that Dangote Cement company management recognised the important role women play in building families and by extension the society; thus the company provided a platform for regular engagement with women representatives of the Host Communities tagged ‘Women Assembly’.
The traditional ruler representing the host communities, the Aboro of Ibese land, Oba Rotimi Oluwaseyi Mulero thanked the management of Dangote Cement company, for its gesture in impacting its host communities positively, noting that the people are happy and the company should not relent in its social interventions.
While describing the social performance profile of the company as very impressive, Oba Mulero said, “much as the people and community leaders are lauding the company for the giant strides in the host communities, I am also enjoining them not rest on their oars. we are still asking for more because all these projects can never be too much for the people. Also, we want the management to consider someone from the host communities to be appointed into management position.”
“In all, Dangote Cement has done excellently well, last year we were here when grinding machines were given to our women. Today, it is freezers, the youths and the farmers are not left out. Scholarship for the indigent students, what can we say than pray to God to continue to help Dangote Cement grow more so that they can do more”, the monarch stressed.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Trade and Investments, Adebola Sofela, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Olu Aikulola, commended Dangote Cement company for the various interventions in form of empowerment of Nigerians, describing the gesture as a kind of relief to the state government.
Dr. Aikulola commended the conflict resolution mechanism of Dangote Cement company, which he said has been very effective and described the Chairman of the Company, Aliko Dangote as the most progressive entrepreneur in the country.
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