Aliko Dangote who turned 59 today decided to celebrate his birthday on Sunday by kicking off construction of a $1 billion cement factory in Okpella, Edo state.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the six million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) Okpella plant and the upcoming six mmtpa plant in Itori, Ogun State will increase the company’s local production capacity to 41 mmtpa annually.
The project which will be completed within 26 months will create 6,000 direct jobs and 45,000 indirect jobs in the community.
The Billionaire speaking at the ceremony, said that the project will meet local demands for cement, as well as surplus for export and foreign exchange generation. He also urged other investors to look at other investment opportunities in Nigeria, saying the Federal government have created investor friendly policies to boost investments.
He also said that economic reforms in the areas of tax, innovations in rural finance, and investment in infrastructure made him invest in the state.
Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State who was at the ceremony along with his wife Lara, said that the investment will reduce the state’s dependence on federal allocation and boosts its internally generated revenue.
Dangote is ranked by Forbes magazine as the 67th richest person in the world and the richest in Africa; he peaked on the list as the 23rd richest person in the world in 2014.
He surpassed Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi in 2013 by over $2.6 billion to become the world’s richest person of African descent.
You can see the celebrant cutting his cake below
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