President of the Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said that his group was supporting the country’s educational sector and skill acquisition programmes to help government speed up industrial development.
According to a statement from the group, the Dangote Foundation has since launched the Dangote Academy to train the youths.
Speaking at a conference on Corporate Social Responsibility in Abuja recently, AlhajiDangote said: “Last October, we launched the Dangote Academy to train young technicians and craftsmen that are expected to boost the manpower needs of our nation’s industries and currently, there are between 150 and 200 technicians in the Academy where they will be accommodated and fed for the duration of their 12-month training.
“We also give them stipends to meet their needs. We intend to absorb 75 percent of them in our factories and find jobs for the rest. This is part of our contributions to the industrial development of the country,” he said.
Alhaji Dangote who was represented by the Group Head of Corporate Communications Mr. Tony Chiejina, also disclosed; “We have equally tried to empower Nigerian students through our activities. For instance, we donated N500million for the development of Bayero University Business School, N200million for the proposed Islamic University in Katsina State and N118million for the squash complex at the main campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as part of our CSR initiatives, within the last two years.”
According to him, the Foundation has gone beyond Nigeria to reach out to other people, especially victims of natural disasters. “For instance, last year in neighbouringNiger Republic, we donated relief materials worth over N120 million to assist famine victims and also donated $2 million, through the United Nations World FoodProgramme (WFP), in September 2010, to assist survivours of flood that ravaged Pakistan. Through this donation, we extended our support to more than 325,000 children in need in that country.”
He said: “Dangote Foundation is committed to initiating policies and executingprogrammes and projects aimed at creating jobs and alleviating poverty in Nigeria. As an organisation, we have it as a matter of policy, to give back to the society where we operate.
“Dangote Foundation, which serves as a vehicle that drives our CSR initiatives, has been involved in micro-credit programmes and has since 2007 been strategising on various intervention strategies designed to promote growth of MSMEs in the country.”
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