Dangote Sugar commits to CSR schemes in Adamawa, Nasarawa

The Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (DSR) has scaled up its social intervention programmes around host communities in Adamawa and Nasarawa States where its backward Integration projects are located.

The Group is investing hugely in raw sugar production as part of the Federal Government Sugar Master Plan.

This is coming on the back of $500m that has so far been injected into the project in Nasarawa.

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) developed a road map for the realization of self-sufficiency in the sugar sector within a short time. Thus, the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) gave birth to Sugar’s Backward Integration Policy (BIP).

The company said with 78,000 hectares of farmland in Nasarawa, and 32,000 hectares in Adamawa, it is creating thousands of employment opportunities for Nigerians.

Currently, over 600 workers are being engaged, while 90MW is to be generated in the Dangote Sugar Project in Tunga, Nasarawa State.

While speaking at the yearly general meeting of the company, the Chairman of Dangote Sugar Refinery, Aliko Dangote, noted that Nigeria could rake in foreign exchange of up to $700 million yearly from the BIP scheme.

He warned that the BIP scheme must be protected to insulate the Nigerian economy and create jobs.

“If the national sugar master plan is followed strictly and the players follow the rules, the country will be better for it as Nigeria will save between $600 million and $700 million annually as forex,” he said.

A statement from the Corporate Communications Department of the company said when the factory is fully operational; it would have the capacity to crush 12,000 tons of cane per day,

Some of the Corporate Social Responsibility projects executed include the provision of blocks of classrooms, scholarship, water scheme, rehabilitation and opening up of road network, and construction of health center, among others.

Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment Niyi Adebayo who was on a working tour of the Dangote’s Savannah Sugar Company (SSCL) Ltd in Numan, Adamawa State, and the Tunga sugar project site in Nasarawa State, had described the projects as “huge, impressive and amazing.”

The Minister said: “It’s a very impressive sight. It’s amazing that such a project exists in this place. What we’ve seen so far from all the plantations we’ve been to is very impressive. We are impressed with the level of work they are doing.”