Dangote At FIIRO, Pledges To Tackle Malnutrition

The Dangote Group has pledged to partner with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) to fight the menace of malnutrition in Nigeria.

The group said it wishes to adopt indigenous technology fabricated in the Institute to address health, skills development and poverty alleviation challenges in the country.

This was disclosed during a courtesy visit to the institute by the Dangote Group led Ms. Zouera Youssoufou, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Foundation.

In her remarks, Director General of the institute, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Elemo said she was happy to have the Dangote delegation, stressing “the interest of Dangote in food processing was mutual with that of the Institute.

“The Dangote group has impacted on the lives of Africans, most especially in job creation. The company’s interest in food processing provides a veritable platform for collaboration with FIIRO. The institute is the only one of its kind in Nigeria with special mandate for Research and Development (R&D) in food processing and agro-allied industries.”

She said the institute has over 50 technologies ready for commercialisation and fit for the Nigerian market, noting that over 20 institutions have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with FIIRO. Making a case for a strategic partnership between the two organisations, she expressed her wish that the visit would culminate to the Dangote Group signing an MOU and strengthening the collaboration.

According to her, the areas of focus are “Youths and women empowerment at both state and federal levels. The institute can do these by leveraging on its technology transfer and entrepreneurship development programme; and job creation, which the Dangote Group is driving in the country. There is also the area of new product development in commodities, where the country has a competitive advantage. There is also the area of research and development of strategic projects. We are also looking at the enrichment of the Dangote Training School programme, particularly in foundry and welding, among other things.”

In her response, Ms. Youssoufou said that she didn’t realise that in-depth, impactful and indigenous research has advanced so much in the country, commending the staff for keeping the spirit research and development alive. She assured the institute of her support, as they have stirred her interest, especially in the area of nutrition.