Dangote Cement Plc has begun exportation of clinker to other African countries. The first consignment of 27,800 metric tonnes to Senegal was done at the weekend from its export terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos.
In a statement released yesterday, Alhaji Sada Ladan-Baki, group executive director, Dangote Group, said the increased exportation of clinker and cement to other African countries would boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and reduce unemployment in the country.
He said: “The beauty of what we have done is that we are going to be generating foreign exchange for the country in terms of dollars and euros.
“For every batch of clinker we export, the money comes back to Nigeria. The amount we are talking about is not small.
“Presently, Dangote Cement should either be the number one or number two exporter of cement in Africa, and the revenue we have generated in the form of foreign exchange is running into millions.”
“Our target is to export at least 4 million metric tonnes of clinker annually to various parts of Africa.”
“This feat by Dangote is going to generate a lot of jobs because the export terminal has already created jobs for many Nigerians. As at now, the number of employed Nigerians at the terminal have reached 100. We are targeting about 200 to 300 workers in Lagos terminal alone.” Ladan-Baki added.
The company would soon launch another export terminal in Onne, Rivers State, to enable the company to export clinker, initially to its grinding facility in Cameroon and then to new grinding plants being built across West Africa.
Ladan-Baki said: “This vessel, being the maiden ship is exporting 27,800 metric tonnes to Senegal and this is just a tip of the ice-berg as to what we have in plan. What we have in plan is to send clinker from Nigeria to Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has commended Dangote Cement for leading the way for Nigeria to become one of the biggest cement and clinker exporters in the world.