In furtherance of its Pan African expansion drive, leading cement company, Dangote Cement Plc on Monday laid the foundation stones for the construction of its new $500m cement plant in the East African country of United Republic of Tanzania.
A statement from the Dangote Group in Lagos indicated that the new plant with capacity for 3 million mtpa production already endorsed by the government of Tanzania is part of the industrial revolution and economic emancipation programme of the home government as the plant will provide thousands of job for the locals.
The ground breaking ceremony held even as Dangote Group marked the World Day for Safety and Health at Work with a promise to promote healthy and safe working environment in all its operations. The preparations leading to the ground breaking ceremony according to the Statement, commenced in 2007 following discussions with the government of Tanzania by the Group and subsequent agreement on the proposed cement plant. The plant is expected to be completed within 22 months.
Dangote said the commencement of the construction of the plant signposts another step forward in the Group and Tanzania’s mutually beneficial business relationship, which will further strengthen the ties between the two countries.
“Our investment in this sector, which is outside the traditional mining sector, is to take advantage of the abundance of limestone in the country and work towards making Tanzania self-sufficient in cement production. We must commend the government and people of Tanzania for recent public sector and banking reforms, as well as revamped and new legislative frameworks, which had spurred private sector driven investment.”
The Statement assured the people of Tanzania especially the host community of Mtwara of a new dawn as the company will impact positively on their lives.
“While we are in business of creating wealth primarily, we are also mindful of the need to touch lives of people. As a company, we have always been conscious of the need to give a little of our profits back to the society as a guarantee for sustainable business success.”
Meanwhile, the Terminal E Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Community of the Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, (GDNL), a subsidiary of the Dangote Group has organized a safety awareness campaign to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
Managing Director of the Dangote Port Operations, Captain Joshua Oyewumi explained that safety at work place and its environment is key to the operations at the Dangote group and that a sound and healthy workforce means higher productivity.
He stated that the international Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that over two million suffer various injury in the work place and that the tide had to be stemmed because injury to employees negates productivity and therefore the aim of the Green view and other subsidiaries of the Dangote group is “No Accident at workplace”.
Oyewumi stated that the Safety awareness rally embarked upon by the workers to mark the day was meant to arouse the consciousness of the workers to the fact that safety and health at the work place is everybody’s business.
