The President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote has called for greater integration of African economies and expansion of trade and investments across the continent to stimulate growth and create employment opportunities.
Speaking at the ongoing Intra-African Trade Fair 2023, themed ‘Connecting African Markets,’ held at the Al Manara International Conference Centre, Nasr City, Cairo Governorate, Dangote, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Stakeholder Management and Government Relations, Ahmed Mansur expressed commitment to participating and supporting both the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the Intra-African Trade Fair.
According to him, the Dangote Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Africa with investments in several sectors and across 14 countries in Africa.
He said, “The integration of African economies and the expansion of trade and investments within the continent is therefore extremely important to our group because it provides opportunities for continuous growth and expansion. This is why we support the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and indeed the Intra-African Trade Fair.
“We believe that both the AfCFTA and the IATF are important milestones in the trajectory of Africa’s economic growth and development and we as a major stakeholder in that development are therefore committed to participating and supporting both the AfCFTA and the Intra-African Trade Fair.”
Also speaking on the sidelines of the event which drew interested participants from across Africa and beyond, Dangote affirmed that the company, which was one of the event partners, had a responsibility to help promote entrepreneurship and development in Africa.
He noted that the reason was because the group had its presence in around 14 countries across the continent, and why it is collaborating and participating at the highest level of the IATF 2023.
“For an event of this magnitude, Dangote has a responsibility because it is recognised all over Africa. You will be surprised that perhaps the Dangote Group in terms of its capacity as a leading entrepreneur in Nigeria is recognised more widely in other African countries. And so, we have the responsibility to carry our brand and to carry that name very prominently.
“I think it is not just a question of coming to sell something or look for partners, we have loads of partners, Dangote sits at home, and the partners will come from everywhere. But I think we also need to show the flag and it is important not only for Dangote but for Nigeria. We need to continue to recognise this responsibility,” he added.
SOURCE: PUNCHNG
