Dangote Group to invest $4.6bn in Nigeria’s agriculture, calls for youth involvement in sector

The Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that the company would invest $4.6 billion in nation’s agricultural sector in the next five years.

Dangote, according to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, listed sugar, rice, tomatoes and oil palm as some of the agricultural sectors where the monies would be invested.

He disclosed this Monday at the 6th edition of the 2017 AgrikExpo and NABG Conference in Abuja, just as he appealed to government at all levels to rehabilitate and construct feeder roads to facilitate movement of farm produce to markets.

Represented by Mansur Ahmed, executive director, stakeholder management and corporate communications of Dangote Industries Limited, the industrialist said that rehabilitating rural roads would help to reduce costs of production and prices of goods.

He also said that improving technology in agriculture would guarantee improved inputs (seeds, fertilisers), and also help farmers improve yields.

According to him, if agriculture must succeed in the country, our farmers must be young and active which means that youths must be involved.

“We need to improve human capital in every aspect of the farm value chain There is need for infrastructure to be in place to enable farmers transport their produce from farm to markets,” he stressed.

He specifically called on state governments to initiate programmes that would promote areas of their comparative advantage in agriculture to boost food security and assist Federal Government’s agriculture efforts.

He equally called for adequate cooperation between the public and private sector to enable agriculture thrive in the country.

“Agriculture cannot thrive in this country except there is a better partnership, collaboration between the private and public sectors,’’ Dangote said.