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President and CEO of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that he decided to venture into the construction of a refinery and fertiliser plant as part of his own contribution to reduce unemployment in the country. Dangote made this known at the weekend in Lagos while addressing members of a business group that paid him a visit.

He said the task of growing the nation’s economy rests more on the shoulders of the private sector and, therefore, charged other investors to lend the government a helping hand in this direction. According to him, the task of the government is more of providing the enabling environment through the right policies and infrastructural provisions, for the private sector to thrive.

Noting that the current administration was already focusing on issues that would help the private sector perform optimally as enshrined in the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dangote said no government can succeed without the input of the private sector.

The business guru commended the government for listening to the private sector and intervening in some critical areas of attention such as the backward integration policy which started with the cement sector and is now being extended to agriculture.

“Nigeria,” he said, “has the resources and the market for any company to survive. I have always said it that Nigeria is a good place to invest. We have all in abundance. God has blessed this country.”

Expressing optimism in Nigeria’s economic revival through the private sector, he said the current challenges facing the country will soon be a thing of the past. Dangote Group, he promised, will invest more in Nigeria and create more jobs.

•Photo shows Dangote.

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