President Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote
By Goddy Egene
Dangote Group has expended about N20 billion on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and charity programmes across Africa from the beginning of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 , the company has said in a statement .
According to the statement, in the first quarter of 2012 for instance, the group doled out $500,000 to victims of explosion in Republic of Congo.
“The Dangote Industries Limited has also donated N100 million to the University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano within the first quarter. The group also supported the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with N1 million within the first quarter of 2012,” the statement said.
The statement quoted the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote as saying that he was determined to intensify his charity works, and as well as create jobs for many Africans.
“About this philanthropy, I think from this year, I personally want to take it very seriously. I want to be much more aggressive than what we have had in the past. We already have a foundation which will do all these things, but I am trying to see what we can do to encourage, not only Nigerians, but other Africans,” Dangote said.
While said that he would not give all his money to, he noted that would try his best and give part of that money to charity.
Last year, the group pumped over N1billion into the rehabilitation of some Nigerian universities. And as part of the group’s contribution to empowerment, it had given out N600million to women in Kano State.
Dangote’s charity effort had been extended to African and Asian countries.
Victims of famine in Niger Republic had been given over N120 million while flood victims in Pakistan got $2million.
The pan African conglomerate had expended a whopping N15.5billion in
2011 as part of its CSR works.
With tentacles in 14 African countries, Dangote has been adjudged as one of the biggest employers of labour outside government in Africa.
Last February, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated Dangote’s Ibese plant in Ogun State with an annual capacity of six million metric tonnes. The plant will also create jobs for some 10,000 people. The conglomerate currently provides about 40, 000 job and pay about N50 billion in tax annually.